THE State Government has reportedly spent over $2M of taxpayer money to maintain the empty Dhurringile site since the prison closed in August 2024.
Member for Northern Victoria, Wendy Lovell, said she put a question on notice to the Minister for Corrections in August this year, requesting a breakdown of the costs of maintaining the site.
She requested details including power costs, security, administration, rates, levies and any other associated costs incurred in the 12 months since its closure.
Ms Lovell said the Minister refused to provide a detailed breakdown. He did however notify her that a total of $2.06M – almost $40,000 every week – had been spent by the Department of Justice and Community Safety to maintain the site while it lies dormant.
The Minister also confirmed that the State Government had failed to generate any income from the property.
Through the appeals process for questions not answered in full, the President of the Legislative Council has ordered that Ms Lovell’s original request for a detailed breakdown be reinstated, and she has placed additional questions on notice seeking information about the permanent or temporary sale of any water rights.
The State Government has declared the former Dhurringile Prison site as surplus land, and the Department of Transport and Planning is overseeing its sale.
The site was offered to Victorian Government agencies, as well as the Commonwealth Government and local government, but a buyer has not yet been secured.
Ms Lovell also asked for an update on the progress of the site’s sale, and the Minister confirmed that the government is currently working with one interested party which has submitted an expression of interest, but refused to reveal the party’s identity.
CORRECTION: The Adviser would like to acknowledge and correct an error published in this article, where an extra zero was mistakenly added to the weekly running cost of maintaining the closed Dhurringile Prison site, incorrectly stating the amount as $400,000 per week instead of the correct figure of $40,000 per week. We apologise for any confusion this error may have caused.
