Minister for Police and Minister for Corrective Services Mark Ryan MP has joined Lockyer Valley Mayor Tanya Milligan to discuss the terrific opportunities a new $600m infrastructure project will deliver to the Lockyer Valley and surrounding regions.
The Palaszczuk Government has committed $620m to building stage 2 of the Southern Queensland Correctional Centre, near Gatton.
This project will deliver new prison infrastructure with the capacity for approximately 1000 extra beds.
Construction is expected to generate more than 400 jobs.
Even better, once complete, the new facility will create more than 500 new, permanent jobs.
Minister Ryan said this project was a demonstration of the Palaszczuk Government’s unwavering commitment to delivering major infrastructure and creating hundreds of jobs in regional Queensland.
“This is a game changer for the Lockyer Valley.
“This is such an important region, a major agricultural production zone that we all fondly call Queensland’s ‘Salad Bowl’.
“I know many people have been doing it tough because of drought and when our people on the land struggle, the flow on effects mean so does everyone else.
“A project like the one this government is building, with all the jobs it will create, can help turn the economic tide,” Minister Ryan said.
Lockyer Valley Mayor, Cr Tanya Milligan said the region received significant economic benefits with the construction of the current facility a decade ago and believes stage two should deliver even more.
“There is no doubt the construction of stage two will bring enormous economic benefit to the Lockyer Valley and it couldn’t come at a better time,” she said.
“Our region has been drought declared for twelve months now and there’s no denying it’s making things tough for our agricultural industry, so the economic stimulus brought on by the new prison couldn’t be better timed.
“There’s not only increased job opportunities both during and after construction, but it puts the region in a better position to obtain vital infrastructure such as a passenger rail service, regional hospital and increased funding for our community centres.
“The reality is you don’t even know the prison is there, it’s off the main road and out of sight, but what we will see as a region, is a massive injection of funding and jobs for the Lockyer Valley and I certainly welcome the expansion,” Cr Milligan said.
