Final decision made on Victoria’s $200m quarantine facility

A final call has been made on which of the two proposed sites will be used for Victoria’s purpose-built quarantine centre.

Victoria’s village-style quarantine centre is set to be built in Mickleham, with the federal government believing that site can be up and running months before a facility in Avalon.

The Herald Sun can reveal expert visits to both sites have identified a series of issues with Avalon, prompting Scott Morrison to shift his preference to the Mickleham proposal favoured by the state government.

A final decision is expected to be unveiled within a week, and it is understood at least part of the $200m quarantine facility could be open for overseas arrivals by the end of the year.

The federal government had been concerned about locating the centre next to an existing animal quarantine facility in Mickleham, as the Prime Minister backed the site near Avalon Airport.

A design of how the village-style quarantine facility would look.

How the room will look inside.

It is understood the government is now looking at alternatives to expand the animal quarantine system across the country, after it struggled to keep up with the influx of animals last year as Australians were forced to rush home from overseas.

Bureaucrats from the state and federal governments have visited both the Mickleham and Avalon sites in recent weeks to plan the long-awaited facility.

Concerns raised about Avalon included the potential impact on protected wetlands, the presence of toxic chemical PFAS, and the lack of proper sewerage at the site.

While these issues could be resolved, the Herald Sun understands the federal government believes it would be between three and nine months faster to proceed with Mickleham.

Fay Smith in her backyard next to the Mickleham quarantine site. Picture: David Crosling

Mickleham resident Chris Razos is opposed to the facility being built in his suburb. Picture: David Crosling

The site will be locked in after final talks between both governments in coming days.

On Tuesday night, the federal government also moved to further fast-track the project by seeking parliamentary clearance to exempt it from a lengthy approvals process by the Public Works Committee, which is required because the facility will be built on commonwealth land.

Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Ben Morton lodged a motion which said that “given the urgency of the project, it is not feasible to refer these works to the Public Works Committee”.

Returned travellers going could soon be staying in a purpose-built facility. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

“The commonwealth is working with Victoria to progress the development of the project, which includes consideration of commonwealth processes, agreeing design requirements, procurement, contracting, and a build program,” Mr Morton said.

He said proceeding without the committee’s approval was “not common” and the government had “not taken this decision lightly”, but that the “public importance” of the new quarantine facility required the move so construction could begin “as soon as possible”.

The commonwealth is expected to pay for the facility’s construction costs in return for Victoria running the centre as an alternative to hotel quarantine.