A private prison in Sydney is under government review after an inmate filmed himself with drugs and weapons, using a phone he said was smuggled to him by guards.
For the first time Corrective Services New South Wales will send in a team led by a governor from the public sector to monitor the prison's operations.
The video, which was believed to have been shot in August 2016, was uploaded to YouTube late last month.
In it a man is heard describing conditions in the prison, while his cellmate looks on nearby.
"On a day-to-day basis this place is a dead-set joke," the inmate is heard saying.
"Right now, I've got a mobile phone. Why have I got a mobile phone? Because screws (guards) are bringing mobile phones into the jail for money."
The inmate then films himself handling a knife and other small metallic objects he said can be used as weapons.
He demonstrates by slashing a piece of metal originally from a television across the wall of his cell.
"That's an example of what it can do to your throat," he said.
The man then holds up a small bag, which he said contained the drug ice.
"Why do I have it? Because I can," he said.
Corrective Services chief 'appalled'
Commissioner Peter Severin, from Corrective Services New South Wales, said he first saw the video on Friday.
It prompted a search at the prison the next day, where "significant amounts of contraband" were recovered.
"I was appalled by what I saw," he said. "I was concerned about the attitude displayed in that video, I was concerned about the allegations made, and I was determined to take decisive action."
After meeting managers from the prison's private operator, GEO Group, Commissioner Severin announced a team from the public sector would be sent in to review the prison's operations.
He said they are aiming to see "vast improvements, that we see every effort made to control things that come into the centre, that every effort is made to ensure prisoners are safe, staff are safe and the centre operates securely."
A police investigation is also underway.
Commissioner Severin wouldn't directly comment on the two men who feature in the video except to say one is on parole and the other is now at a different facility.
Jail shrouded in secrecy: union
Stewart Little is the General Secretary of the Public Services Association, which is the union representing the state's prison officers.
He said Parklea has been "shrouded in secrecy" since it became privatised in 2009.
"It's a private prison that operates on a staffing profile of half that operating in the public system," he said. "It's no wonder we've seen an incident such as this."
New South Wales Opposition leader Luke Foley was equally scathing.
"Our prisons are awash with dangerous weapons, hard drugs, mobile phones," he said. "This isn't funny, it's scary."
Commissioner Severin said GEO Group was "apologetic" during their meeting and "accepted full responsibility".
The review by Corrective Services is expected to take up to four weeks.
