Dhurringile Prison
Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (12:17): (665) My question today is for the Minister for Corrections. Now that the Dhurringile Prison has closed, my constituents still have many questions about the decommissioning process. Can the minister please explain what the decommissioning process entails for this site?
Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (12:18): I thank Mrs Tyrrell for her question and her interest in my corrections portfolio. As Minister for Corrections, in June earlier this year I made a major announcement about the reconfiguration of our adult correctional system. It was about making sure that we make the best use of our best facilities, and that meant we had the opportunity to use our modern facilities at Western Plains, which will be opening by the middle of next year. It also meant the closure of the almost 60-year-old Dhurringile Prison and also the privately operated Port Phillip Prison by the end of next year. I do want to take this opportunity to thank the staff at Dhurringile, who have worked tremendously to keep our community safe. But as part of that I know from the community feedback we have had and through your representations and those of other members in this place that there is a great interest in what decommissioning work means, because that is what we have had communicated, so I do want to clarify that.
What I will say is that in terms of decommissioning that means removing the equipment and corrections-specific tools we have on site. It means removing those fixtures and equipment so that we can repurpose them and reuse them, possibly at other facilities. A good comparison for this – I learned this when talking to the department about decommissioning, because as minister I was obviously interested myself in what that would entail – is it is like moving house, so we are packing up and removing the stuff that we can use elsewhere and taking that. But I want to be very clear that there will be no demolition of buildings. I know a matter that is of great interest is the heritage mansion on site, the homestead, and that will be protected.
Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (12:19): I thank the minister for his answer. My constituents have voiced their desire to visit the site and see the historical mansion at Dhurringile for themselves. Can the minister commit to working with the community for an open day once the decommissioning work is complete?
Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (12:20): I thank Mrs Tyrrell for her supplementary question.
A member interjected.
Enver ERDOGAN: It does sound like a great idea; I will take the interjection. At the moment the work is on the decommissioning and removing of our equipment and fixtures to repurpose as required. Obviously we know that the best ideas do come from local communities and we are taking the opportunity, and I was clear when we made the announcement that we will be consulting the community. I was clear when we made the announcements in June, so the department is undertaking that work. But I think a community open day is a good opportunity for the community to see firsthand the potential for the site. What I will make sure is that the department works towards that when the decommissioning takes place within that timeframe and that at the end of that you are informed of that as well as other local members.