Prison and parole admin stars celebrated

Last published on 04 May 2021 

More than 700 administration staff will be celebrated this Friday, 7 May for their work in keeping NSW prisons and parole offices running smoothly and efficiently.

Administrative Professionals Day has been marked in Australia since 1981 as a day to recognise the important job of admin people, who often go unnoticed.

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Corrective Services NSW Commissioner Peter Severin commended the professionalism and commitment of administration officers, particularly during a challenging past 14 months.

“Most of our admin staff had to be reskilled in very tight time-frames so they could begin bookings for inmate video-visits during the pandemic,” Mr Severin said.

“They had to rethink how their workplaces needed to operate while being COVID-19 safe, and this was on top of performing a range of day-to-day vital tasks including managing purchases and invoices, administering sentences and orders, and processing staff wages.

“We wouldn’t be able to function without them so today’s an opportunity to acknowledge their signification contribution.”

CSNSW employs 707 administration professionals including payroll clerks, business managers, sentence administration officers and executive assistants.

Staff have been encouraged to mark Administrative Professionals Day by organising a morning tea or sending their colleagues a gift or message of appreciation.

Mr Severin said he’s proud to lead a hardworking and diverse team, which covered workplaces from Broken Hill to Long Bay and Albury to Tweed Heads.

“Some administration officers have been with us for decades while others are new. I thank them all for their service,” Mr Severin said.

Originally known as ‘Secretaries Day’, it was established in the US during a post-war skills shortage of administration staff as a way to attract talent.