Economic impact of new northern correctional facility released

In an economic impact assessment report published on Thursday, Deloitte projected that the proposed 270-bed Northern Correctional Facility would also boost the state-wide economy by $200 million.

Once operational, the correctional facility will draw 229 full-time equivalent staff from other regions of the state, including Hobart and Launceston.

About 40 full-time positions at the Launceston Reception Prison on Cimitiere Street will also move to the Northern Correction Facility, according to the report, as well as a number from Risdon Prison in the south.

Attorney-General and Minister for Corrections and Rehabilitation Elise Archer said the economic impact, along with the project's Bushfire Hazard Assessment report, would inform the design development of the facility and be included in the development application to be lodged with the Meander Valley Council.

The $289 million in economic benefits to the region included $64 million in benefits for the construction sector and $55 million for the region's manufacturing sector.

Construction work on the Northern Correctional Facility is expected to begin after the closure of the Ashley Centre, currently scheduled for late next year.

According to the Deloitte report, the facility will begin operations in 2028 or 2029.

It is aimed at supporting more successful rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners through increased training and education opportunities and by maintaining better connections to family in northern Tasmania.

Prisoners on longer sentences are all presently housed in Risdon in Hobart, despite about half the prison population coming from the north or north-west of the state.

The facility, which has a construction and development budget of $270 million, will employ 367 full-time-equivalent staff and have an annual operating budget of $ 97.7 million.

That compares to Ashley's operating budget of about $10 million per year, not including its school.

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