What’s happening?
Queensland Corrective Services has held its first Townsville graduation ceremony for 2026, with a new group of custodial correctional officers now moving into frontline roles.
The officers will begin work at Townsville Correctional Complex, where they will help manage prison safety, support rehabilitation, and contribute to safer communities.
The ceremony also highlighted wider recruitment opportunities across Queensland, with new officers set to be deployed to correctional centres across the state in the coming weeks.
Why it matters?
These new officers will play a direct role in prison safety and offender rehabilitation.
Their work goes beyond security. It also supports efforts to address offending behaviour and improve prisoners’ life and vocational skills before release.
Assistant Minister for Community Safety, Defence Industry, Veterans and North Queensland and Member for Mundingburra Janelle Poole APM MP said the role carries real weight for the wider community.
“Queensland’s Custodial Correctional Officers play an integral role protecting the community and holding offenders to account to make Queensland safer,” Ms Poole said.
“These new graduates will soon be working on the frontline, to ensure the security of our prisons and safety in our communities and I commend them for the hard work and wish them the very best as they step into their new roles.”
Local Impact
For Townsville, the new intake strengthens staffing at the Townsville Correctional Complex and adds to the region’s public safety workforce.
It also shows that North Queensland continues to be part of the state’s corrections pipeline, with the first local graduation ceremony of the year already completed.
The story also carries a jobs angle for the region. Queensland Corrective Services is recruiting not only custodial officers, but also education staff, case managers, psychologists, counsellors and occupational therapists.
By the numbers
- Eighteen recruits graduated in Townsville this week and will now start their careers at Townsville Correctional Complex.
- The new officers completed 10 weeks of paid training, which included conflict management and tactical operations.
- More than 200 new officers are expected to graduate from the Custodial Officer Entry Program in the coming weeks and be deployed across Queensland.
Zoom In
The Townsville graduates came from a broad mix of industries, including Defence, community service, IT, retail, hospitality and tourism.
That mix shows how Queensland Corrective Services is drawing workers from different backgrounds into corrections.
Acting General Manager Townsville Correctional Complex, Chief Superintendent Silvi Barretta, said the new recruits were joining a role with both challenge and purpose.
“We welcome our first new group of custodial correctional officers for the year and look forward to seeing their careers develop with QCS,” Chief Superintendent Barretta said.
“Every interaction our officers have is an opportunity to address offending behaviour and to improve the vocational and life skills of prisoners, assisting in their rehabilitation and safe reintegration back into the community.
“Working in corrections can be challenging but also extremely rewarding, and I encourage anyone looking for a career that supports community safety to take a look at the opportunities available.”
Zoom Out
The Townsville ceremony forms part of a broader statewide recruitment push by Queensland Corrective Services.
New graduates will soon be posted across Queensland, from Lotus Glen in Mareeba to the new Lockyer Valley Correctional Centre in Gatton.
Queensland Corrective Services is also actively recruiting across custodial and community roles, showing the scale of workforce demand across the system.
Applications for custodial officers can be lodged through the QCS careers page. The process includes a phone interview, group assessment and fitness test.
What To Look For Next?
With more than 200 officers set to graduate in the coming weeks, Queensland Corrective Services looks set to keep building its frontline workforce across the state.
