Landowners interested in offering up a site for the proposed $270 million prison in Northern Tasmania have until November 22 to do so.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The government opened up an expressions of interest process through the Justice Department seven weeks ago and sent invitations to participate to Northern Tasmanian councils, utility companies and the property sector.
The Meander Valley and Latrobe councils have previously expressed interest in lobbying for the facility to be placed within their municipal boundaries.
The department will also look at Crown land options and work with government agencies on suitable sites as well.
A panel will help guide selection of a suitable site and will provide a shortlist to the government in March.
The prison, which is expected to start construction next year, is intended to house 270 prisoners.
It will be built over two stages with the first stage due to be completed over five years and house 140 prisoners by 2022-23.
It was considered a new prison should be based ideally between the North and North-West as regional rivalries occurred within the walls of Risdon Prison and there were issues with travel for family members of inmates.
A Legislative Council inquiry in 1999 recommended funding be arranged to build a Northern prison.
The most recent Justice Department annual report said Tasmania’s prison population had increased in line with the national trend.
While the prison was not at capacity, the report said the higher prisoner numbers could reduce operational flexibility.
It said 46 per cent of the prison population was from the North or North-West.
The department last year reported a prison population of 589 which had risen significantly from 2015-16 when the population was 524 inmates.
Any person or organisation willing to nominate a site can email northern.prison@justice.tas.gov.au.