Liberals failing to consult on northern prison

Tasmanian Labor
  • Real consultation needed with the Westbury community
  • Local Liberal MPs in hiding
  • Government should release modelling and list of other sites
  • 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

    /Public Release. View in full here.