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July 7th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda About 300 locals are blockading Grafton jail to protest against NSW government plans to downsize the facility which unions say will kill the north coast community.
The Public Service Association (PSA) says the picket will be maintained 24 hours a day to prevent anything, including inmates and equipment, from getting in or out of the prison.
NSW Corrective Services Commissioner Ron Woodham last month announced that the jail – which currently has 250 beds – would become a transient facility housing just 60 prisoners waiting for local court appearances.
Unions say the plans will cost 108 jobs and hurt the Grafton economy, while the government says the facility has reached its use-by date and maintenance alone costs NSW taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
Current and former employees as well as union and community members gathered at the jail on Saturday to protest against the proposal to slash more than 80 per cent of the workforce.
PSA assistant general secretary Shane O’Brien says the blockade aims to prevent any equipment leaving the facility as part of the planned downsize.
“Once that happens the government’s gone through the pain and that’s the end for Grafton,” Mr O’Brien told AAP.
“We want the government to reconsider their position.
“They’re not attacking unions here, they’re not attacking workers, they’re attacking an entire community.”
Mr O’Brien said he expected the number of protesters to fluctuate between 300 and 500 people at different times.
“It’ll be a 24-hour-a-day thing and we’ll go for as long as we possibly can because it’s too big an issue,” he said.
The issue was discussed on Friday at a meeting between Grafton community and union representatives and NSW Acting Premier Andrew Stoner and Justice Minister Greg Smith.
However, following the talks a spokesman for Mr Smith told AAP the government was not reconsidering the jail downgrade.
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