CRITICAL holes in Victoria’s prison system have reignited calls to reopen the former Dhurringile Prison, which was closed in 2024 and cost taxpayers more than $2M in its first year of dormancy.
Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, pressed the government to confirm whether it had plans to reopen Dhurringile amid local speculation that the Victorian Labor Party was investigating bringing it back online.
Ms Cleeland said the abrupt closure ripped millions of dollars from the local economy, cost regional jobs and occurred without meaningful consultation with the community.
“The decision to close Dhurringile was short-sighted and premature,” she said. “It was shut before Labor changed Victoria’s bail laws, and now the government is facing the very prison capacity pressures many warned about at the time.”
Ms Cleeland said Labor’s refusal to reconsider the site raised serious questions about its long-term corrections planning.
“Dhurringile was a successful low-security prison that provided employment, supported local businesses and played an important role in the regional economy.
“With incarceration rates rising and prison capacity under increasing strain, Victorians deserve to know why a proven facility remains closed while the government searches for solutions elsewhere.”
Last October it was revealed that maintenance of the 286-hectare site had cost $2.06M for the first 12 months after the prison was closed, with no income generated from leasing of farming. This equates to almost $40,000 in maintenance costs each week.
Dhurringile Prison is situated on crown land and remains for sale to government bodies during an extended first right of refusal process, although no buyer has been confirmed almost two years since the prison closed.
