BROOME REGIONAL PRISON
154. Hon NEIL THOMSON to the minister representing the
Minister for Corrective Services:
I refer to the recent announcement
by the minister of a new site for the Broome Regional Prison.
(1) Did the minister consult broadly
with all parties before choosing yet another site in Broome?
(2) Noting
that the Shire of Broome has published notification on its social media that it
is not involved in the new site selection,
does the minister now concede that he has failed to adequately consult on the
matter?
(3) Noting the various inquiries that have recommended
that prisons be located close to where inmates live, the existing prison in the
West Kimberley at Derby and the ongoing concerns expressed by Broome residents,
will the minister reconsider his plans and plan for an East Kimberley
site?
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the question.
The following information has been provided by the Minister for Corrective
Services.
(1)–(2) The
announced preferred location was offered to the government by the Yawuru native
title holders. Consultations were then held
with the Shire of Broome before the preferred site was announced. Currently,
the shire's planning scheme does not
allow the prison to be built on the preferred site. The preferred site is at
the far end of the Broome light industrial park, and the new prison would be
approximately three kilometres away
from the residents at Morrell Park. The Department of Justice is making a
submission to the Shire of Broome seeking the inclusion of the preferred site
in the local planning scheme. In parallel with this next stage of the process,
consultation has begun with nearby stakeholders to identify and work through
any concerns they may have. If the submission is unsuccessful, the department
will have to return its consideration to previously identified sites, such as
the two sites near the 12 Mile community that had previously been the subject
of community consultation.
(3) There is broad consensus that the current prison,
parts of which date back to 1894, is no longer fit for purpose and needs replacing. In 2012, the Liberal–National
government announced that the Broome Regional Prison would be closing in
2015. The same Liberal–National government then kept the prison open.