The
Hodgman Government is failing to engage with people in the quiet, peaceful town
of Westbury over the proposed site for the northern prison.
Local
Member for Lyons Jen Butler said the Government shouldn’t push through
development of a maximum security prison in a tight knit community like
Westbury without proper consultation.
“I
have spent the last week talking to hundreds of people in Westbury and there
are many more questions than answers,” Ms Butler said.
“This
massive development has been dumped on the community with little information
and little opportunity to provide real feedback.
“Mark
Shelton, Guy Barnett and John Tucker need to get out of their plush Government
offices in Hobart and front up in Westbury.
“They
need to really listen to what people are saying.
“What
I am hearing is a community concerned about their safety and that of their
families, concerns about the value of their properties and concerns about the
impact on local industry.
“The
Government could clear much of this up by releasing all of its modelling on the
“preferred site” and while they’re at it, they should release the list of other
nine potential sites for the prison.
“People in Westbury deserve to be heard, and so far the Government’s consultation is severely lacking.”
Jen Butler MP
Member for Lyons