The opposite is true. The convicts were made to work and used as a slave labor force with a 'ticket of leave' (emancipation) as a carrot for good behaviour. As a result the convicts often worked very hard during public works (e.g. the road to Bathurst) and because of the settler's ability to deny them their ticket of leave they had to generally be well behaved.

Their reduction in rights meant that the colonial government could tax them more effectively and control their behaviour (important for food security for the isolated colony) by making them all tend their own vegetables and taking some to the stores.

Further, the convicts had a good incentive to become skilled because skilled labourers were highly sought after and could become very rich.

There were problems though. The Irish attempted rebellion occasionally and the nature of the prison state meant that the military had a huge amount of power until the rum rebellion was put down.

But yeah, chronic skilled labour shortage was a problem but as much as the idea of a prison colony itself and the power of the merinos (landed ruling class).

Sources: Fatal Shore and some other books.