Bullsbrook Quarantine Center Eyed as Prison

0:00It's April 14th. Welcome to Sydney News Today, powered by AI. West Australia's government is eyeing the Idol Bullsbrit quarantine center as a potential prison. This $400 million facility wrapped up in 2022 but is at empty since COVID faded. Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia confirmed they're seriously looking into it to tackle a massive prison overcrowding crisis. Prison numbers have spiked 38% lately, mostly from remand cases tied to family and domestic violence. Places like Hakeya are triple-bunking inmates, creating real strain across the system from low to max security. Shelter WA shot down using it for homeless folks last week, calling the remote spot unsuitable for people with complex needs. Papalia echoed that, but flipped it positive for prisons, saying the isolation words better there. Opposition spokesman Adam Hort slammed it as hypocritical, arguing the government should have built new prisons instead. The Prison Officers Union first floated the idea, but now says it's a no-go.

1:01They need to overhaul every wall inside and out, and it just isn't built to hold folks who don't want to stay. Plus, not enough low security prisoners to fill it. Complicating things, the sites owned by the Federal Department of Finance with the Australian Federal Police eyeing it for training. Papalia says, talks are private for now, as the state pushes forward with a broader prison expansion plan to ease the pressure.