Three DJCS staff members were recognised for their distinguished service as part of the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours.
The Australian Honours and Awards system provides the people of Australia the opportunity to recognise and say 'thank you' to outstanding citizens whose efforts make our communities and our nation a better place.
Well done to our recipients of the Public Service Medal and Australian Corrections Medal. Please join us in congratulating them.
Public Service Medal
The Public Service Medal recognises outstanding excellence, leadership and innovation by employees from each of the four levels of government.
Ryan Phillips
Associate Secretary
Ryan’s extensive 14-year career in the public service reflects a deep commitment to integrity, ethical governance and responsible leadership. With a calm, respectful and collaborative approach, he consistently demonstrates an ability to foster and support high performing teams through crisis management, critical service delivery, and policy development. Ryan is an empathetic leader, who focuses on building a positive team culture and increasing diversity within his teams.
Ryan’s effective leadership of critical initiatives, such as the reset of Victoria’s quarantine program during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights his ability to drive effective policy and service design in high-stakes environments whilst maintaining significant responsibility for public safety. His involvement in overseeing the performance of the corrections system is a testament to his commitment to improving and reforming critical aspects of the justice system in Victoria. Ryan's focus on promoting the rights of vulnerable populations, including Aboriginal people and LGBTIQA+ people, reflects his dedication to inclusivity, respect, and social justice.
Ryan’s exceptional leadership qualities have played a pivotal role in the DJCS’s success in how it serves the community of Victoria. His leadership style emphasises integrity, accountability and ethical conduct, qualities that position Ryan as a valuable and trusted role model within the public sector.
He is passionate about fostering a safe and equitable justice system, and he has been instrumental in driving positive change to promote a more effective and just corrections system. In his current role as the Associate Secretary, Ryan continues to make significant contributions to the public sector and the community as a whole.
Australian Corrections Medal
The Australian Corrections Medal is awarded for distinguished service by an operational member of an Australian state or territory civilian correctional service for adults.
Nicholas Selisky
General Manager (Metropolitan Remand Centre)
Nicholas commenced in 1990 as a prison officer at HM Prison Pentridge. By 1995 he progressed to the Security and Emergency Services Group (SESG) where he spent several years as a K9 handler, and then in 1999 was promoted to supervisor. In 2006, he was appointed as an operations manager at the Metropolitan Remand Centre (MRC) before moving to the private sector at Port Phillip Prison.
Upon returning to Corrections Victoria in 2013, Nicholas held several senior frontline leadership roles across the system’s most complex maximum-security prisons. He is currently serving as general manager at the MRC. During his time in the SESG, Nicholas supported staff and the locations across the state in their security and emergency response and coordinated the implementation of successful high-risk operations.
At Port Phillip Prison, Nicholas continued his focus on occupational violence. He developed and implemented the Project New Light initiative, which led to the retraining of all custodial staff to enable a better understanding of use of force options and expectations for staff. This initiative has demonstrated the proven benefits in reducing use of force incidents.
Following the MRC riot in 2015, Nicholas stepped into the role of recovery manager. His leadership, staff support and extensive knowledge of security and emergency response models, coupled with skills in meaningful engagement and case management, was a significant asset in supporting the location to rebuild.
Nicholas is an inspirational and authentic leader. Over his 33-year career, he has made a significant contribution to the organisation’s security and emergency response capabilities, as well as having a passion for effective case management to achieve rehabilitation and community safety. He is dedicated and hardworking, continuing to strive for better outcomes for people in custody.
Kylie Garrett
Regional General Manager (West Metro CCS)
Kylie commenced with Corrections Victoria in 2005 as a prison officer, working at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre and Metropolitan Remand Centre. In 2008, she moved to Community Correctional Services (CCS) as a community correctional officer. Since that time, Kylie has served in various frontline roles in CCS before she was appointed as the regional change leader in the Western Metropolitan region, where she led the implementation of sentencing reforms and championing change activities. She has also held the roles of supervisor, officer in charge and manager of Court Practice.
Kylie is currently serving as the regional general manager of Loddon Mallee CCS. She has established herself as a strong leader, having always displayed a commitment to best practice outcomes for offenders. She embraces reflective practice and is a forward thinker, looking for ways to innovate and push for new ideas. Kylie acts with professionalism and treats all staff with the upmost respect, embedding a supportive culture and bringing out the best of everyone that she leads.
Over the years, she has notably led staff through various changes, including the decommissioning of Greensborough Justice Service Centre and the opening of South Morang Justice Service Centre and Coolaroo Justice Service Centre. More recently, Kylie has supported staff through the change management of CCS processes while maintaining a high level of service to offenders and stakeholders, making these changes easier to facilitate and implement within the region.
Over the past 18 years Kylie has demonstrated distinguished service through her passion and drive to ensure the best outcome for her colleagues and stakeholders, always ensuring community safety is paramount. Her natural leadership abilities, enthusiasm in driving staff development opportunities, and innovative practice is an asset to Corrections Victoria.