Shelton in political firing line over prison site

By Sharon Webb

ANTI-PRISON GROUP Westbury Region Against the Prison (WRAP) has signalled that it will target senior sitting Liberal Mark Shelton in the next State election if Tasmania’s new prison is built on the proposed Birralee Road, Westbury site.

WRAP president Linda Poulton said the group intends to place every obstacle in the way of the prison going ahead there

‘If it does get the green light despite our efforts, we will continue to protest this appalling decision, potentially by throwing our support behind a candidate in the election.’
Senior Liberals Mark Shelton and Guy Barnett have everything to lose in the next election in about three years

If the Liberal government’s Northern Regional Prison plans are on target, then by the time of the election, the prison building on Birralee Road, two kilometres from the centre of Westbury, will be a very visible reminder of what many Westbury residents currently appear to be repudiating.

At the last election, Mark Shelton topped the first preference vote not only in the Westbury booth with 315 votes, but also in Hagley (118 votes ), Chudleigh (75), Elizabeth Town (98), Carrick (184) and Meander (77).

In nearby Deloraine he was close behind Guy Barnett with 402 votes and also in Mole Creek (68).

Further away from Westbury, Mark Shelton also topped the poll in Cressy, Longford, Glengarry, Frankford and Bracknell.

In most of these booths, the Liberals were markedly ahead of Labor leader Rebecca White, with candidates Jen Butler and Janet Lambert trailing well behind.

Jen Butler’s recent presence in Westbury and alignment with WRAP indicates she may have found an issue to boost her visibility

Ms Poulton said WRAP members, currently more than 100, believe Mark Shelton was behind the choice of the Birralee Road site, citing a deed of agreement signed by him as Meander Valley Council mayor in 2009.

Then the council was establishing Valley Central industrial zone on land on both sides of Birralee Road. Three landowners, including proposed prison site landowner Glen Avon Farms, agreed that the council would establish service infrastructure on the land in return for future payment.

That gamble has not worked out for Glen Avon Farms. The industrial zone progressed slowly and no industry has been established on the farm’s land. Glen Avon’s debt to the council, which WRAP maintains in a letter to the council is $680,000, is due in January 2022.

It is believed that debt was an important reason why, in November 2018, former Meander Valley Council general manager Martin Gill submitted an expression of interest to the State Government for the prison site to be on Birralee Rd, on behalf of Glen Avon Farms

Ms Poulton said, ‘Mark Shelton had knowledge of the site and the debt owed to the council, as he signed Glen Avon Farms up to that debt. He has been very vocal in his support for this site,’ Ms Poulton said.

Both Mark Shelton and Guy Barnett deny involvement in the choice of prison site. ‘The shortlisting and assessment of sites including the preferred site at Birralee Road for the $270 million Northern Regional Prison was made by a specially formed siting panel with expert members from across government agencies. Neither of us was involved in that process.’

The government announced Birralee Road as the preferred site in September this year. sharon.webb@ meandervalleygazette.com