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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 10 Hansard (Tuesday, 24 August 2004) . . Page.. 4050 ..

from the relationship between indigenous offending and imprisonment. Our aim is to prevent indigenous persons being sent to prison.

The selected site for the ACT prison is located at Hume—block 6, section 18, and block 12, section 24. A preliminary assessment under the Land Planning and Environment Act has recently been submitted to the Minister for Planning for determination. Earlier this month I received a letter from Senator Hill advising that a portion of the land to the north-east of the airport, identified as block 102, is surplus to Australian government requirements and recommending that the ACT submit a priority sale proposal for the site. I formally applied for a priority sale more than 12 months ago and made repeated efforts to secure this land, only to be thwarted at each turn by the Commonwealth.

It is almost impossible for the ACT to change sites at this late stage. To do so would clearly put the project back substantially 12 to 18 months, and possibly longer, as terms, conditions and limitations attached to the land in question would inevitably have to be negotiated with the departments of Transport and Regional Services, Defence and Finance, as well as the Canberra International Airport and the National Capital Authority.

Should planning revert to the site in the Majura Valley, the cost of the current preliminary assessment would be wasted and new contracts required. Canberra International Airport has also expressed concerns at any proposed move to Majura, as block 102 has been identified as land required for the future expansion of the airport, and aircraft noise would be an ongoing concern.

There are also significant environmental issues associated with the sites identified by the Commonwealth, including grassland and earless dragons to the west and woodlands to the east. Resolving these issues would require detailed consultation with Environment ACT and referral to Environment Australia under the Environment (Protection of Biodiversity and Conservation) Act 1999. Following the completion of the detailed impact assessments on the site at Hume as part of the preliminary assessment, I am convinced that the Hume site presents the best available option for the establishment of the ACT prison.

Work is well progressed at the current site. There are a number of tender processes due to commence in the coming months. A program manager will be engaged to assist with the management of the design and construction process. Shortly thereafter we will engage a designer to develop a detailed design and the associated documentation and a builder to commence construction of the prison. After almost 50 years of debate, speculation, deliberation, analysis and procrastination, my government has not only substantially progressed work towards the establishment of a prison, we have provided $110 million in funding to that end.

What is more, my government is ensuring that the ACT prison will be a model of sustainable design, and its operations will promote a safe, healthy environment for all associated with the prison—prisoners, staff and visitors alike. The Alexander Maconochie Centre, through careful planning and community involvement, will offer prisoners opportunities, inviting them to rehabilitate and reintegrate with the ACT community of which they are a part, and where they belong.

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