As Risdon Prison strains under the pressure of a growing prisoner population, the government can hardly afford delays in the construction of the Northern Regional Prison.
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Yet the dust is refusing to settle after the sudden announcement of Westbury's industrial estate as the preferred location - and that dust appears certain to linger in the air for years to come.
It will be billowed about again when the government attempts to rezone the land, and if the development application is bypassed, expect more dust to be kicked up.
By that time, most of Northern Tasmania would have likely developed a fatigue for the Westbury prison debate - but that won't be the case for prison opponents. They're gearing up for the long haul, and as mentioned to The Examiner last week, that could lead right into the 2022 state election.
Westbury is Liberal Party heartland in the state's North, explaining the pained expressions of government ministers as they confront disgruntled locals. Last year, the Liberals collected 56 per cent of the primary vote in the town, compared with 22 per cent for Labor. Their saving grace is that Westbury only offers a mid-sized booth in Lyons, dwarfed by Sorell, Longford and co.
But as Tasmanian Parliament notoriously sits on a knife's edge, the government's handling of the announcement could have wider ramifications. Bec White can hardly hide her glee at the situation, and Labor has said it wants the government to go back to the drawing board and find somewhere else.
But where else? Nobody knows, because the only other considered sites released under right to information were all knocked back comprehensively.
Earlier this year, North-West councils were desperate to get their hands on a prison to boost employment. Even locals appeared to be on board, but in the end it needed to be closer to Launceston.
The government needs this prison open in some capacity within five years. If it backs down on Westbury, who knows how much time that adds to the process.
The only other option is to grin and bear it - and hope that dust doesn't blow them out of office.