Labor has demanded that the state government reveal the other nine sites floated in the expressions of interest process for the Northern Regional Prison, but has refused to say where it thinks the prison should go.
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The Valley Central Industrial Precinct about two kilometres north of Westbury has been selected as the preferred site for the $270 million Northern prison, which was a key election commitment of the Hodgman government.
While there are those in the Westbury community who support the proposal, those against it have been the most vocal in expressing their views on the matter.
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A group of residents opposed to the prison going up outside the town will incorporate on Saturday following a rally on the Westbury Village Green.
State Labor leader Rebecca White and Lyons Labor MHA Jen Butler joined some of these residents on the Village Green on Friday.
"This community feels very strongly ... that they have not been consulted at all about this process," Ms White said. "The government simply made a decision and [residents] haven't been asked whether they agree a maximum security prison should be located here in Westbury."
When asked where Labor thought the prison should be built, Ms White did not name a location.
"We are not the government and obviously we don't have access to the information they have," she said.
"If we were in government, we would have run a completely different process.
"[The government] haven't detailed what the evidence is that Westbury, for instance, would be a preferred site [so] we want to see all of that information before we make any decisions."
In a statement, Corrections Minister Elise Archer said Ms White needed to "make clear" what Labor's preferred site for the prison would be.
"If they don't support the preferred site, where exactly would Labor build a new prison?" Ms Archer said.
"The Hodgman majority Liberal government is getting on with the job of working with the local community to deliver our election commitment for the new Northern Regional Prison that will generate significant, ongoing employment in the state's North and North-West."
Meander Valley mayor Wayne Johnston said on ABC Radio on Friday that some of the feedback the council had received on the prison proposal had been "pretty blunt and ... pretty raw".
Rob Inglis
Rob Inglis is a reporter with The Examiner, covering state and federal politics. He is based in Hobart.
Rob Inglis is a reporter with The Examiner, covering state and federal politics. He is based in Hobart.
