🔐 Queensland Corrective Services: Unlock Your Future in a High-Impact Public-Sector Career 🚓
AT-A-GLANCE
Name of Department / Council: Queensland Corrective Services (QCS)
Location: State-wide across Queensland – head office, Level 21, 69 Ann St Brisbane
CEO (Commissioner): Paul Stewart APM
Total Revenue: $1.495 billion in 2023-24
Total Number of Employees: 8 114 (headcount) / 7 360 FTE
DID YOU KNOW? 🤔
Queensland’s prisoner population reached an all-time high of 10 964 in May 2024 – a 54 % increase since 2014, driving unprecedented demand for new officers, psychologists, tradespeople and digital experts.
THE QUALIFICATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS, TRADES, PROFESSIONS, WORK EXPERIENCES & SKILLS MOST SUITED TO QCS
Top 5 academic qualifications
Certificate III in Correctional Practice – mandatory entry program for Custodial Correctional Officers, delivered by the QCS Academy
Diploma of Correctional Administration – pre-pares frontline leaders for supervisory roles
Bachelor of Criminology / Criminal Justice – sharpens analytical skills for intelligence and offender-management teams
Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) – underpins evidence-based rehabilitation programs
Master of Public Safety Leadership – equips senior managers to steer large, complex correctional systems
Top 5 certifications
First Aid & CPR – vital for incident response behind secure walls
Security Operations Licence (QLD Class 1) – valued for escort, transport and perimeter duties
Mental Health First Aid – supports trauma-informed prisoner management
Project Management Professional (PMP) – essential for capital works like the $885 m Lockyer Valley Correctional Centre
Chartered Accountant (CA/CPA) – ensures robust stewardship of QCS’s $1.5 billion budget
Top 5 trades / professions
Electricians & Plumbers – keep secure infrastructure operating 24/7
Boilermakers / Metal Fabricators – drive prison-industry production and bunk-bed programs
ICT Security Analysts – defend critical offender-management systems
Psychologists & Allied Health Clinicians – deliver rehabilitation and mental-health services
Diesel Mechanics – maintain prisoner-transport fleets across vast regional areas
Top 5 skills
Situational Awareness – spotting and diffusing risks in dynamic environments
Conflict Resolution – de-escalating incidents and safeguarding lives
Report Writing – producing accurate records for courts, Parole Board and intelligence units
Cultural Competence – engaging respectfully with diverse prisoner cohorts
Digital Literacy – using e-records and case-management platforms to drive data-led decisions smartjobs.qld.gov.au
THE KEY FACTS
Name of Department: Queensland Corrective Services
Name of CEO: Paul Stewart APM
Location: Queensland-wide
Year Founded: 1988 (established as a stand-alone corrections agency)
Main mission & purpose: To provide safe, modern and responsive correctional services that rehabilitate offenders and prevent crime, making Queensland safer. A practical example is QCS’s End-to-End Case Management model, which pairs every prisoner with a dedicated officer from admission to release, boosting reintegration success. smartjobs.qld.gov.au
Main duties: Running 18 correctional centres and 36 Community Corrections offices; supervising 10 000+ prisoners and 21 000+ community offenders; delivering programs that cut re-offending – e.g. 29 905 instances of in-prison re-entry support in 2023-24
Key projects, strategic priorities & future plans:
Lockyer Valley Correctional Centre – 1 500+ beds, 800 new permanent jobs, commissioning in late 2024
Rolling out domestic & family-violence perpetrator programs to additional centres
Implementing the 10-year roadmap Corrections 2030 focused on safety, excellence and accountability
THE EMPLOYEES & REVENUE
Total employees: 8 114 (headcount) / 7 360 FTE
Employees by cohort: Frontline & support 96 % | Corporate 4 %
Salary bands (indicative 2024):
Custodial Correctional Officer (GS1): $93 956 – $114 613
Correctional Supervisor (GS2): $78 945 – $90 946
Psychologist (PO3): $99 348 – $108 192
Administrative Officer (AO8): approx. $108 784 – $118 000 (Queensland Public Service directive)
Senior Executive (SES2): $250 000 + (public-sector executive scale)
Average salary (employee expenses ÷ headcount): about $117 300
Total revenue: $1.495 billion
Average revenue per employee: roughly $184 300
GETTING A JOB AT QUEENSLAND CORRECTIVE SERVICES
Which academic subjects are in demand?
Certificate / Diploma level: Correctional Practice, Security Operations, Business Administration, Electrical, Plumbing
Bachelor / Master level: Criminology, Psychology, Social Work, Mechanical Engineering, Cyber Security
PhD level: Behavioural Science, Data Analytics (predictive recidivism modelling), Organisational Leadership
Which trades & professions are sought after?
Custodial & Community Correctional Officers, Electricians, Carpenters, Registered Nurses, ICT Network Engineers, Intelligence Analysts
Which work experiences are valued?
Military or Police service (discipline & teamwork), community youth work (rehabilitation insight), large-scale project delivery, manufacturing or workshop supervision (prison industries), cloud or cyber-security projects (digital transformation)
Which skills are in demand?
Soft skills: Resilience, empathy, verbal de-escalation, ethical judgement, teamwork
Technical skills: Security-system operations, case-management software, forensic-psychology assessments, trade-qualified maintenance
General skills: Report writing, WHS compliance, project scheduling, budgeting
Which hobbies & interests align with QCS’s work?
Team sports or fitness training (builds resilience), martial arts (situational awareness), community volunteering/mentoring (rehabilitation mindset), DIY/wood- or metal-work (industry workshops), coding or cyber-security clubs (digital services)
Want more information on this organisation? 📞
Queensland Corrective Services – Human Resources
Level 21, 69 Ann Street, Brisbane QLD 4000
Phone: 13 QGOV (13 74 68)
Email: CorpGov@corrections.qld.gov.au
Website: corrections.qld.gov.au
Current vacancies: search “Queensland Corrective Services” on SmartJobs.qld.gov.au for roles such as Custodial Correctional Officer, Intelligence Analyst, Trade Instructor, Psychologist.
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