An anti-prison group claims the Department of Justice "stole" the environmental consultant it had been engaging with as it prepared its opposition to the Northern Regional Prison near Westbury.
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Hobart-based firm North Barker Ecosystem Services was confirmed as the government's new environmental consultant as it looks to progress plans for a 270-bed prison at Brushy Rivulet.
But in July and August, Westbury Region Against the Prison had been in discussions with the firm with a view of developing a natural values assessment to be used in any appeals against the prison.
North Barker sent the group a breakdown of a "two-stage approach" on August 5 including costs, which WRAP intended to formally approve, but wanted to wait and see if the government altered the prison footprint in light of buffer concerns.
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"We were operating on the basis of when we had more certainty around what the proposal looked like, we would do a site visit - rather than go to that effort only for the plans to change," WRAP secretary Linda Poulton said.
"It was comforting to know that we could have someone who could give us this type of planning assistance."
On November 16, WRAP informed North Barker it would like to continue engaging the firm, and group secretary Linda Poulton said they had an "oral" agreement from August.
On December 22, the group then received an email from North Barker stating it had instead been engaged by the Department of Justice in relation to the prison and "it will not be tenable" to continue offering its services to WRAP.
Ms Poulton said it raised an "ethical issue".
"It's the fact that they've essentially stolen a very good environmental consultant that we thought we had locked in, now it might be very difficult for us to find another consultant," she said.
In an email from December 24, North Barker outlined its view that it did not have an "existing engagement" with WRAP, there was no retainer and they had not reached "the point of formal engagement".
The department's previous consultant, Ecotas, resigned from the project in November citing the need for a "more certain forward schedule".
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North Barker has provided advice to the government in the past, and was engaged by Riverfly on the Lake Malbena proposal.
A Department of Justice spokesperson said North Barker would have an opportunity to "review the work completed to date" and then undertake its own assessments.
"North Barker has advised that their previous discussions with WRAP do not preclude them from working on this project," the spokesperson said.
"Major developments, such as this, take time. A development application will be submitted once all necessary information to support an application has been gathered."
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