Media release – Neighbours of Ashley, 5 March 2024
WHEN WILL THE LIBERAL GOVERNMENT START TALKING ABOUT THE NORTHERN PRISON AS IT NEEDS TO BECOME AN ELECTION ISSUE?
We, The Neighbours of Ashley call on the Liberal government, other parties, and independent candidates in this state election to come out and publicly state their position on the Northern Correctional Facility being built at the Ashley site near Deloraine.
The Liberal government announced the Northern Regional Prison in 2019 (pre Covid) with a budget of $270M at Westbury and five years on the budget hasn’t increased. Two years ago, the then Premier, Peter Gutwein, decided to close the Ashley Youth Detention Centre overnight and we were told it was the new site for the northern prison with a new name, Northern Correctional Facility which we know is equivalent to a maximum-security prison.
How are they going to fund the blow out in costs that would have occurred in the last 5 years?
Will the Tasmanian taxpayers have to fund the shortfall whatever the final figure is? Can this state even afford a duplicate prison to be built given the state of the health system, education, and cost of living pressures.
The Neighbours of Ashley have been opposing this maximum-security prison for two years and no one in this election seems to want to talk about it.
Meander Valley residents have been told 3 times now that we are getting the prison on three different sites, and these are all without community support.
This will affect our farmers and the small country towns of Deloraine, Exton and Westbury for generations to come and it should not be swept under the carpet during this election campaign.
We are calling on all candidates and parties in this election to come out and state where they stand on this major project, so we know what and who we are voting for in this election.
