Liberals’ $30 million prison overtime waste revealed

More eye-watering Liberal waste has been exposed in Tasmania’s prison system.

RTI documents obtained by Labor reveal that more than $30 million has been spent on prison overtime in just over two years, while leaving almost 40 prison officer positions unfilled.

$14 million was spend on just shy of 140,000 overtime hours in 2024-25.

$15 million was spent on nearly 145,000 overtime hours in 2025-26.

And nearly $3 million has already been spent on nearly 30,000 overtime hours in July and August alone this year – meaning this year’s bill is on track to be well over $17 million.

RTI documents obtained by Labor in April showed nearly 40 prison officer roles were being left unfilled under the Liberals’ vacancy control measure, while Eric Abetz continued to cut the Department of Justice’s budget.

Leaving the roles vacant doesn’t save money. It pushes the cost into overtime and puts more strain on the officers who are working extra shifts to keep our prisons safe.

After 13 years of Liberal waste like this, Premier Rockliff has put Eric Abetz in charge of cutting jobs and services to pay for it – and Tasmanians ultimately suffer the consequences.