The Victorian government has announced the impending closure of Port Phillip Prison and Dhurringile Prison, raising questions about the financial implications and future use of the sites.
Corrections Minister Enver Erdogan confirmed the closures on Wednesday, with Port Phillip Prison set to close by the end of 2025 and Dhurringile Prison shutting by September 2024.
Port Phillip Prison, a maximum-security facility operated by multinational security company G4S since its opening in September 1997, has a capacity of 1,087 inmates. The contract with G4S was renegotiated in 2015 to extend beyond 2017 for up to 20 years, depending on performance.
Minister Erdogan stated that the government gave notice to G4S last week of its intention to close the prison but declined to comment on whether taxpayers would be liable for ending the contract, citing commercial confidentiality.
“I’m not going to go into details of the contract (as it’s) commercial in confidence … and several other reasons,” Erdogan said.
“But we’re exercising our rights and we believe we’re within our rights to shut down that prison.”
G4S acknowledged the decision in a statement but did not address whether it would legally challenge the termination of its contract. “G4S will work with our staff and partners to ensure a smooth closure and staff are redeployed where possible,” the statement read.
Approximately 720 inmates from Port Phillip will be transferred to the new Western Plains Correctional Centre in Lara, north of Geelong, from mid-2025. This $1.1 billion, 1,200-bed facility was completed in November 2022 but has remained largely empty.
Minister Erdogan explained that the delay in moving prisoners was to ensure a safer transfer and adequate staff training.
“We don’t have the capacity issue so we’re going to take the time to get this right,”
Erdogan said.
“We are talking about a maximum-security cohort.”
Dhurringile Prison, which is 59 years old, will see its roughly 70 inmates likely moved to the Beechworth minimum security prison. Staff at both closing prisons will have opportunities to work elsewhere within Victoria’s justice system or receive redundancy packages.
Community and Public Sector Union Victorian secretary Karen Batt emphasised the importance of job security for G4S officers.
“However, there’s plenty of vacancies across the whole correctional system and a need to pull together a full job complement for the new Western Plains prison with plenty of lead time,”
Batt said.
“Dhurringile prison closure however needs more transition time as regional location makes job opportunities harder to find.”
Western Plains Correctional Centre boasts high-tech features, including artificial intelligence for tracking people through CCTV and a workforce of about 600 staff. Inmates will have increased access to specialist training and employment facilities.
The future of the prison sites remains undecided, but the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service has called for the sites to be repurposed to support community members linked to the criminal justice system. Despite making up two per cent of the Victorian population, Aboriginal people represent about 20 per cent of inmates at Port Phillip and Dhurringile.
“Privately run, profit-driven prisons are extremely unsafe places for our people,” chief executive Nerita Waight said.
“A prison sentence shouldn’t be a death sentence, and our people’s lives are not something to profit from.”
The closure of these prisons highlights significant changes in Victoria’s correctional system and raises important questions about the future use of these sites and the implications for taxpayers and affected communities.
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