Corrections officers walked off the job at more than 30 prisons across New South Wales on Tuesday after a prisoner accused of assaulting a guard was released from custody. The strike, which locked prisoners in their cells and disrupted prisoner transport and court appearances, followed an alleged assault on 25 July at John Morony Correctional Centre near Windsor, in which the officer reportedly suffered broken ribs, lost teeth, and a broken nose and eye socket.

Police arrested a 21-year-old man in Blacktown on Tuesday and charged him with causing grievous bodily harm to a law enforcement officer; he did not seek bail and is due back in court on 16 October. Union secretary Stewart Little blamed prison overcrowding, linked to a government crackdown on domestic violence, and staff shortages for a volatile system, warning of further action without government support. Corrective Services NSW said the matter had been referred to the Industrial Relations Commission and staff were expected to return to work at 7am Wednesday; it is the second such strike in under a year, after a walkout in October over a lenient sentence for an inmate who assaulted four guards at Cessnock.