UPDATED: Elise Archer doubles down on commitment to new northern prison site, revealing the proposed construction timeline
‘Due diligence’ on the new preferred northern prison site will be undertaken next month, the Corrections Minister says, as she reveals the timeline for construction, despite continued community opposition.
The Launceston News
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DOUBLING down on her declaration the Government has “every intention” of building a Northern Regional Prison at a newly revealed site, corrections minister Elise Archer today released a timeline for the build.
In a statement, Ms Archer said the Government was committed to delivering the project in an effective and timely manner “following community consultation”.
She said “due diligence” on the new Crown Land site at Brushy Rivulet on Birralee Rd would be completed next month and stage one of the prison would be open by 2025.
The Government announced last week it would abandon its original preferred prison site at an industrial precinct on Birralee Rd 2km from Westbury after receiving community feedback and would instead build at a site 5km from the centre of Westbury.
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Community group Westbury Residents Against the Prison, Labor and the Greens have argued the Government’s community consultation around the prison development and previous preferred site was questionable and lacking and the proposed location was inappropriate.
WRAP president Linda Poulton announced on Monday the group would continue to fight a maximum-security prison development in the Westbury region.
She said the Government announcing a new site without consulting first was “history repeating itself”.
“It looks like full steam ahead,” she said.
“They made it clear to me, I thought, that they’re done consulting and they thought they have done enough and were just going to run with what they had obtained [so far].”
The $270 million prison development is part of the Government’s election commitment to spend $350 million on prison infrastructure in Tasmania.
Ms Archer said the plan would deliver jobs, provide economic stimulus and support Tasmania’s building and construction sector.
“This vital project alone will support more than 1000 jobs and deliver an economic boost of $500 million to the region according to the recently completed and independently conducted Social and Economic Impacts Study,” she said.
Ms Archer said the new site was unallocated Crown Land and that signs on the gate saying it was nature conservation area were incorrect and were not put there by Government.
Labor MP Jen Butler on Monday said the people of Westbury had not been listened to and the accuracy and scope of surveys commissioned by the Government were questionable.
She said Labor was sceptical about the Government’s time frame.
“Especially after the bungled previous site,” Ms Butler said.
“Clearly, they haven’t learnt from previous mistakes and there’s no room in this timeline … for any community consultation.
“Surely the interests of those new property owners that are next door to this site should be considered.
“We just hope that this isn’t just another huge waste of taxpayer funds.”
Greens leader Cassy O’Connor last week said there were mixed feelings in the community about the Government’s new preferred prison site.
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