Published Wednesday, 29 November, 2006 at 11:02 AM
JOINT STATEMENT
Premier and Minister for Trade
The Honourable Peter Beattie
Minister for Police and Corrective Services
The Honourable Judy Spence
GATTON SHIRE NAMED AS A PREFERRED LOCATION FOR NEW SEQ JAIL
Premier Peter Beattie announced in Parliament today that the Gatton shire had been chosen as a preferred location for the new $500 million Queensland correctional precinct.
Mr Beattie said the new facility would deliver significant investment to the local area.
“We anticipate this complex could create more than $375 million in trade value for the Gatton area during construction,” Mr Beattie said.
“It could also create jobs for 380 prison staff in the initial phase and up to 1,750 jobs on completion.
“And past experience suggests at least 22 per cent of the professional staff required, such as custodial officers, psychologists, nurses, administration and management staff, will move to the local area instead of commuting, injecting a further $19 million in wages to the Gatton shire’s economy each year.”
Mr Beattie said the economic benefits that stemmed from the Maryborough Correctional Centre, commissioned in March 2003, were also a preview of what the Gatton shire could expect.
“The Maryborough Correctional has a $1.8 million facilities maintenance contract with QBuild, which employs local staff and contractors for a variety of trade services, and spends $1.3 million annually on food items and a further $1.1 million annually on goods such as stationary and cleaning materials.”
Mr Beattie said a new prison complex was needed in south-east Queensland to accommodate the rapidly increasing prisoner numbers.
“In a perfect world there would be no need for more jails, but as the South-East’s population continues to grow, inevitably so do our prison numbers.
“This Government makes no apology for being tough on crime and incarcerating those who commit serious crimes,” he said.
Corrective Services Minister Judy Spence said the Gatton Shire was chosen from four Shires that had expressed interest.
“Following a call for expressions of interest in this proposal, Queensland Corrective Services gave presentations to councils that requested further information about the proposed new jail, including Warwick, Caloundra, Kilcoy and Gatton,” Ms Spence said.
“Gatton is a preferred location because it is within an hour’s drive of the Wacol prison precinct near Brisbane, is close to the Warrego Highway which is a major transport route, has a population base that could support such a big infrastructure project, and has a local council that has expressed support.”
Ms Spence said the Government would look for 600 hectares of land in the north-eastern corner of the Gatton shire to house the complex.
“The correctional complex will only take up between 10-15 per cent of the site, which will enable us to include a significant buffer zone,” Ms Spence said.
“All prison buildings will be low level with only the accommodation blocks up to two stories.
“The prison complex will have a perimeter fence consisting of two razor tape barriers 3.6 metres high, protected by taut wire detection fence technology and microphonic detection.
“The perimeter areas will be under constant closed circuit television surveillance with alarm initiated real time recording of all events.
“All secure centres have this level of electronic security. Every centre on the precinct will have a secure perimeter, with the full range of security measures such as protective response vehicles and dog squads, and no prisoner will operate outside of a secure compound.”
Ms Spence said the current correctional precinct at Wacol has had up to six correctional facilities and total prisoner accommodation approaching 3000 people.
“All of these centres were within a 600 ha rectangle located only minutes from some of Brisbane’s exclusive western suburbs,” Ms Spence said.
“This new complex will ultimately be a similar prison precinct, featuring several prisons such as a women’s prison, a men’s prison and hospice facilities for elderly prisoners, all on the one site.”
Ms Spence said stage one of the planned prison development would include a 300-bed women’s prison followed by a 500-bed men’s prison, to be built by 2010.
“Co-locating jails within a prison precinct is nothing new – we have already done this at Wacol, and it is in line with contemporary prison practice overseas.
“About 70 per cent of the accommodation will be residential style, with the remainder being individual cells,” Ms Spence said.
Ms Spence said Queensland Corrective Services had written to the Council with an offer to improve various community infrastructure and services for the project to go ahead.
“Queensland Corrective Services will buy land for the correctional precinct, and the state government will relocate the existing showgrounds and associated equestrian facilities to the council’s preferred location, in exchange for about half of the current showground site which will be used for a new government precinct,” Ms Spence said.
“This would enable the existing site to be better used with state government services, such as rebuilding the pool to better connect with the sporting and recreational land uses, and expanding the Gatton Primary School site.
“Down the track it could also help facilitate relocating the police station and emergency services to a new government precinct located on the current showground site.
“The Office of Urban Management and the Department of Local Government Planning, Sport and Recreation will facilitate negotiations with Queensland Transport to identify and secure land for a rail/bus interchange, provide a level crossing for the cycleway linking Gatton to the University of Queensland campus, and investigate the potential for improved public transport services to Gatton including rail-based public transport.”
Ms Spence said to engage the community during this process, Queensland Corrective Services would set up and staff a shopfront in Gatton so that people can drop in and ask questions.
“An internet site will be established with regularly updated information, as well as a 1800 hotline, and information will be mailed directly to interested individuals and community groups.”
Ms Spence said any site selected will be subject to the full range of assessment as required by the Integrated Planning Act. The Government expects to finalise negotiations with the Gatton Shire Council by mid-January 2007.
ENDS
Wednesday, 29 November 2006
Media contact: 3224 4500 or Alison Smith 3239 6218 / 0439 673 287
Mr Beattie said the new facility would deliver significant investment to the local area.
“We anticipate this complex could create more than $375 million in trade value for the Gatton area during construction,” Mr Beattie said.
“It could also create jobs for 380 prison staff in the initial phase and up to 1,750 jobs on completion.
“And past experience suggests at least 22 per cent of the professional staff required, such as custodial officers, psychologists, nurses, administration and management staff, will move to the local area instead of commuting, injecting a further $19 million in wages to the Gatton shire’s economy each year.”
Mr Beattie said the economic benefits that stemmed from the Maryborough Correctional Centre, commissioned in March 2003, were also a preview of what the Gatton shire could expect.
“The Maryborough Correctional has a $1.8 million facilities maintenance contract with QBuild, which employs local staff and contractors for a variety of trade services, and spends $1.3 million annually on food items and a further $1.1 million annually on goods such as stationary and cleaning materials.”
Mr Beattie said a new prison complex was needed in south-east Queensland to accommodate the rapidly increasing prisoner numbers.
“In a perfect world there would be no need for more jails, but as the South-East’s population continues to grow, inevitably so do our prison numbers.
“This Government makes no apology for being tough on crime and incarcerating those who commit serious crimes,” he said.
Corrective Services Minister Judy Spence said the Gatton Shire was chosen from four Shires that had expressed interest.
“Following a call for expressions of interest in this proposal, Queensland Corrective Services gave presentations to councils that requested further information about the proposed new jail, including Warwick, Caloundra, Kilcoy and Gatton,” Ms Spence said.
“Gatton is a preferred location because it is within an hour’s drive of the Wacol prison precinct near Brisbane, is close to the Warrego Highway which is a major transport route, has a population base that could support such a big infrastructure project, and has a local council that has expressed support.”
Ms Spence said the Government would look for 600 hectares of land in the north-eastern corner of the Gatton shire to house the complex.
“The correctional complex will only take up between 10-15 per cent of the site, which will enable us to include a significant buffer zone,” Ms Spence said.
“All prison buildings will be low level with only the accommodation blocks up to two stories.
“The prison complex will have a perimeter fence consisting of two razor tape barriers 3.6 metres high, protected by taut wire detection fence technology and microphonic detection.
“The perimeter areas will be under constant closed circuit television surveillance with alarm initiated real time recording of all events.
“All secure centres have this level of electronic security. Every centre on the precinct will have a secure perimeter, with the full range of security measures such as protective response vehicles and dog squads, and no prisoner will operate outside of a secure compound.”
Ms Spence said the current correctional precinct at Wacol has had up to six correctional facilities and total prisoner accommodation approaching 3000 people.
“All of these centres were within a 600 ha rectangle located only minutes from some of Brisbane’s exclusive western suburbs,” Ms Spence said.
“This new complex will ultimately be a similar prison precinct, featuring several prisons such as a women’s prison, a men’s prison and hospice facilities for elderly prisoners, all on the one site.”
Ms Spence said stage one of the planned prison development would include a 300-bed women’s prison followed by a 500-bed men’s prison, to be built by 2010.
“Co-locating jails within a prison precinct is nothing new – we have already done this at Wacol, and it is in line with contemporary prison practice overseas.
“About 70 per cent of the accommodation will be residential style, with the remainder being individual cells,” Ms Spence said.
Ms Spence said Queensland Corrective Services had written to the Council with an offer to improve various community infrastructure and services for the project to go ahead.
“Queensland Corrective Services will buy land for the correctional precinct, and the state government will relocate the existing showgrounds and associated equestrian facilities to the council’s preferred location, in exchange for about half of the current showground site which will be used for a new government precinct,” Ms Spence said.
“This would enable the existing site to be better used with state government services, such as rebuilding the pool to better connect with the sporting and recreational land uses, and expanding the Gatton Primary School site.
“Down the track it could also help facilitate relocating the police station and emergency services to a new government precinct located on the current showground site.
“The Office of Urban Management and the Department of Local Government Planning, Sport and Recreation will facilitate negotiations with Queensland Transport to identify and secure land for a rail/bus interchange, provide a level crossing for the cycleway linking Gatton to the University of Queensland campus, and investigate the potential for improved public transport services to Gatton including rail-based public transport.”
Ms Spence said to engage the community during this process, Queensland Corrective Services would set up and staff a shopfront in Gatton so that people can drop in and ask questions.
“An internet site will be established with regularly updated information, as well as a 1800 hotline, and information will be mailed directly to interested individuals and community groups.”
Ms Spence said any site selected will be subject to the full range of assessment as required by the Integrated Planning Act. The Government expects to finalise negotiations with the Gatton Shire Council by mid-January 2007.
ENDS
Wednesday, 29 November 2006
Media contact: 3224 4500 or Alison Smith 3239 6218 / 0439 673 287