Corrections centre in Lara to open in 2025

THE Western Plains Correctional Centre in Lara will accept prisoners in the middle of 2025, more than two years after it was completed.

Located to the east of the existing Barwon and Marngoneet centres in Bacchus Marsh Road, the maximum-security prison has 1,200 beds and has been designed with security features including an integrated prisoner movement system to make it easier and safer for staff to monitor and move prisoners throughout the facility.

It was completed in November 2022 at a cost of more than $1 billion but has been mostly unoccupied since then, other than holding relocated prisoners after a fire broke out at Langi Kal Kal Prison in Beaufort.

The Labor Victorian government revealed the plan for Western Plains Correctional Centre during a visit to the facility on Wednesday this week, also announcing that the privately-run Port Phillip Prison will close by December 31, 2025, with its prisoners to be transferred to other maximum-security prisons, including Western Plains.

The 59-year-old Dhurringile Prison will also close in the coming months.

The government stated that opening Western Plains would “pave the way to decommission ageing infrastructure and move more of the people in our care into a publicly-run prison – ensuring better oversight and a high standard of care”.

“We are delivering better facilities for people in custody, a safer working environment for our staff and a safer community for Victorians,” Minister for Corrections Enver Erdogan said.

Shadow Minister for Corrections Brad Battin said the Liberals and Nationals had been criticising the government for more than a year about the cost of “keeping empty prison cells air conditioned”.

“In the two most recent Public and Accounts Estimates Committee hearings, it was highlighted that $36 million was spent on operational costs to maintain the empty facility at a time crime continues to increase, Victoria suffers a police shortage and Labor continue to cut crime prevention programs.

“Finally, the Allan Labor Government has conceded the prison must open and operate to stop pouring millions of dollars down the drain that could be used to keep Victorians safe.”