Elise Archer,Minister for Corrections
Fly in, fly out member for Lyons Jen Butler is again falsely stating today that consultation with Westbury residents regarding the preferred site for the northern prison is insincere, claiming I do not intend holding a public meeting.
The facts are that there is significant public consultation underway, and like all good community engagement, takes the form of both public meetings and one on one opportunities with an open invitation to the community.
As I have stated previously on the public record, I am committed to holding a public meeting on 15 December with Westbury residents, as well as a series of one on one consultation sessions which will be held across the coming weeks throughout December.
My focus remains on meaningful consultation and having a range of community engagement meetings, to ensure people have ample opportunity to raise concerns and provide feedback directly with me.
It is important to recognise that many people are not comfortable sharing their views in front of a large group of people and so I want to ensure I am genuinely hearing from a wide range of people in a safe environment for everyone.
The time and location of the public meeting on the 15th December will be confirmed in coming days. I will make sure members of the Westbury community are made aware of the meeting arrangements in a timely way.
Importantly, I reiterate that no final decision has been made with respect to the preferred prison site, but I do believe in full and proper consultation to ensure the community has adequate opportunity to discuss opportunities and concerns.
We are listening, we are engaging, and I look forward to being in Westbury over the weeks ahead.
