Northern Correctional Facility Project Update
One of the key priorities highlighted in the Government’s Strategic Plan for Corrections in Tasmania (the Plan) is to improve and build infrastructure to deliver contemporary approaches for Tasmania’s Corrections system. Modern, well designed correctional infrastructure is critical in order to provide targeted rehabilitation and reintegration programs and processes that improve lives and reduce harm for prisoners within our Corrections system and ultimately contribute to a safer community.
Tasmania currently has its main correctional facilities in the south of the State despite over half of the current prisoner population originating from the north or north-west of Tasmania.
The Northern Correctional Facility (NCF) will support successful rehabilitation and reintegration through increased training and education opportunities and by maintaining better connections to family and other support networks in northern Tasmania.
With its key focus on rehabilitation, the NCF will accommodate prisoners who are progressing through their sentences and preparing for reintegration into the community. It will also include an induction facility for newly received prisoners and remand sections for both men and women who have been detained in custody pending their court appearances.
This will also augment the state-wide Corrections system operated by the Tasmania Prison Service (TPS).
To enable the NCF’s primary focus on rehabilitation and reintegration for prisoners transitioning through their sentences, the Tasmanian Government is investing in an additional maximum security accommodation unit at the Risdon Prison Complex in southern Tasmania. This includes $50 million in the 2023-24 State Budget for the development of this new unit, which will also help alleviate current bed pressures for this cohort of prisoners.
The NCF is an important project that will ensure the TPS has modern, secure, fit for purpose facilities with a strong focus on rehabilitation. That is why the Tasmanian Government is investing $270 million in the project. This new, purpose-built correctional facility will not only be specifically focused on rehabilitation and reintegration outcomes for prisoners who are progressing through their sentences and preparing for reintegration into the community, it will also create jobs and support our economy in the North, with recent modelling indicating it will boost the economy in the Meander Valley by $289 million, while creating 273 full-time equivalent jobs by 2040.
Once the new correctional facility is operational, it will continue to support the local economy by creating employment opportunities for a range of correctional and support staff, and through the use of local contractors and suppliers, wherever possible.
Following consultation with the Meander Valley community last year and the planned closure of the existing Ashley Youth Detention Centre (AYDC) facility, the Department of Justice (DoJ) is progressing the due diligence assessments on the site for the development of the NCF.
Social Impact Assessment
Responding to the community’s request that a new Social Impact Assessment (SIA) be prepared as part of the due diligence investigations, the Department of Justice engaged social planning consultants, Andrea Young Planning Consultants and BBC Consulting Planners to prepare an independent SIA. Andrea Young is a highly experienced Tasmanian based social planning consultant and social impact assessment specialist, with considerable experience in preparing SIA reports for correctional facilities throughout Australia.
Building on the comprehensive community consultation already undertaken for this project generally, the specialist consultants have engaged with key stakeholders (e.g. local community services, business and industry), including nearby neighbours of the AYDC site, to further understand the social impacts that this development may have on the region. An important outcome of this work will be to deliver a Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP) which outlines how identified impacts may be mitigated through the development of the facility’s design and operational model.
Draft Social Impact Assessment Report Open for Public Review
The Government is committed to ensuring that all stakeholders with an interest in the NCF, particularly the Meander Valley community, have an opportunity for consultation over the course of this project’s delivery.
In line with this commitment, both the draft SIA report and SIMP is now available for public comment to allow the local community and near neighbours to have the opportunity to review these draft documents and provide their feedback before they are finalised and to ensure it accurately represents the specific concerns that have been identified.
Download the draft Social Impact Assessment report.
The Government does not currently hold a position on any of the actions and recommendations outlined in the draft SIA and SIMP. All decisions regarding the SIA and the implementation of the actions and recommendations outlined in the report will be made at the conclusion of the Community Consultation period and once the Government have considered the final report’s findings, which is expected to be determined next year.
How to make a submission
You can make a submission on the draft SIA report either by email or by post. All submissions will be provided to the consultant to finalise the report.
All written submissions must be received by 5.00pm on day, Thursday 29 February 2024 in order to be included in the final SIA report that will be provided to the Government to inform their consideration of the report’s findings.
Email your submission to northerncorrectionalfacility@justice.tas.gov.au
Post
Mail your submission to
Department of Justice
Strategic Infrastructure Projects
GPO Box 825
Hobart TAS 7001
Publishing submissions
Your name or the name of the organisation and contents of your submission will be made public unless you request to keep your submission confidential. A summary of each submission will be published with the final Social Impact Assessment at the time the Government has considered its findings.
Contact us by email northerncorrectionalfacility@justice.tas.gov.au if you have difficulty or require assistance preparing your submission or any general enquiries regarding the project.
For further information, please read the Tasmanian Government Public Submissions Policy (external link).
Staging of Development for the NCF
The NCF will be delivered through a staged construction approach with Stage 1 providing for accommodation and service facilities primarily for sentenced prisoners. Specifically, stage 1 of the construction of the NCF is expected to deliver an accommodation profile of:
- 65 medium security beds for male prisoners;
- 70 minimum security for male prisoners; and
- a 30 bed induction/reception facility for males and females.
Stage 1 construction will also include the delivery of the central services of the entire facility for the NCF’s intended total population of 270 prisoners with a focus on developing a new correctional facility that supports offender rehabilitation, reintegration and wellbeing.
The Department expects to release a Request for Tender (RFT) for architectural design services in 2024, once all the due diligence investigations have been finalised. The RFT will enable the procurement of preliminary drawings for the first stage of construction and will support the preparation of a Development Application (DA) to be submitted to Meander Valley Council.
The remainder of the NCF will be constructed in stage 2 and will include remand accommodation and a standalone facility for female prisoners.
Due Diligence Assessments
The Department of Justice, through its dedicated NCF Project Team, continues to progress the due diligence investigations required as part of the normal statutory planning process for the development of this important project at the AYDC site. As part of this, the NCF Project Team is working with independent specialist consultants to prepare the following reports:
- Aboriginal Heritage Assessment;
- Historic (European) Heritage assessment;
- Natural Values Assessment;
- Bushfire Hazard Assessment;
- Traffic Impact Assessment;
- Social Impact Assessment;
- Site Infrastructure Services; and
- Economic Impact Assessment.
These assessments and reports will help inform the development of a RFT for architectural design services and the DA that will be submitted to the Meander Valley Council.
The NCF Project Team is committed to providing regular updates and information regarding the progress of the project to all interested parties. This will include making any reports from the due diligence investigations available to the public, at the earliest opportunity.
All the reports except the Aboriginal Heritage Assessment have been completed and are publicly available. To access the due diligence reports that have currently been finalised or are in draft form, please click on this link.
Frequently Asked Questions
Visit our FAQ's page for more information about the new Northern Correctional Facility.
Register for Project Updates
If you would like to receive updates on the project’s progress you can register for our mailing list via email to northerncorrectionalfacility@justice.tas.gov.au.