Up to 1300 jobs will be created in Melton following the go-ahead for the new Ravenhall prison.
The state government signed a contract with GEO Consortium last week to deliver the new medium-security men’s prison at Ravenhall, with construction expected to start next year.
Melton City Council welcomed the announcement that more than 700 jobs would be created during the peak of construction and more than 600 once the prison was operating.
“The project will generate major economic benefits for the City of Melton through the creation of these new jobs and the flow-on effects of purchasing goods and services from local business,” Melton’s acting general manager of planning and development, Michael Tudball, said.
“Currently, around 80 per cent of the city’s working population travels outside the municipality for work each day, which is something council is working hard to change.
“These new jobs will help address the current imbalance between the number of residents and the number of local jobs and provide more opportunities for residents to work locally.”
Major features of the Ravenhall project include capacity for 1300 prisoners and a 75-bed mental health unit with specialist mental health services for a further 100 other prisoners at Ravenhall.
The prison will also be fitted with modern prison technology to safely and securely contain prisoners.
Corrections Minister Edward O’Donohue declared the project an essential step forward in Victoria’s prison expansion program.
“Ravenhall represents a major investment in Victoria’s corrections system,” he said.
“It will deliver additional capacity to the system through a modern and secure facility.
Ravenhall will have a strong focus on community safety, with operator GEO Australia delivering a range of programs designed to reduce reoffending when prisoners are released back into the community.”
GEO Consortium is designing and building the prison and will maintain and operate it over 25 years.
The consortium has committed to source more than 93 per cent of materials and services locally over the course of its contract.
The new prison is expected to be finished by the end of 2017.
