Politician Claims NSW Prisons Illegally Listened to Her Calls with Inmates
A NSW lawmaker alleges prison officers violated the law by monitoring her conversations with prisoners and threatening those she tried to help.
Exclusive: Greens MLC Sue Higginson tells parliament that Corrective Services knew things "which made it very clear they had monitored our conversation".
A New South Wales parliamentarian has alleged that prison officers unlawfully listened to her calls with inmates and then threatened those who had sought her help.
The Greens' justice spokesperson, Sue Higginson, claimed that her phone calls were "routinely" monitored despite it being against the law for corrective services officers to listen to calls between parliamentarians and prisoners.
Higginson said that Corrective Services "knew things" about her conversations with inmates "which made it very clear they had monitored our conversation".
According to the parliamentarian, the illegal monitoring led to Corrective Services officers threatening some of the prisoners she had spoken with, who were seeking her help.
The allegations raise serious concerns about the privacy and confidentiality of communication between elected officials and incarcerated individuals, which is typically protected by law to ensure transparency and accountability in the justice system.
Higginson's claims come amid a broader debate over the role of prison oversight and the need to safeguard the rights of both inmates and elected representatives.
The New South Wales government has yet to respond to the allegations, but the issue is likely to draw significant attention and scrutiny from civil liberties advocates and the public.
As the Greens' justice spokesperson, Higginson has been a vocal proponent of prison reform and has championed the rights of incarcerated individuals. Her claims, if proven true, could have far-reaching implications for the transparency and accountability of the state's corrections system.
Source: The Guardian
