Western Plains Correctional Centre passed a major milestone this month with over one million labour hours worked on the project since construction started in February 2020.

The 1248 bed maximum security prison is located in the vicinity of the existing Barwon Prison Precinct, and will be Victoria’s largest public prison upon completion in 2022. The project is expected to provide $279 million in direct economic benefits and create a number of ongoing jobs in the Greater Geelong region.

The 800 workers employed at Western Plains are recording a combined average of more than 7,000 labour hours per day as they work to complete the project across a construction area 5 times the size of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Building foundations have been laid and over 20 kilometres of communications and electrical cables installed following the signing of a contract to complete the project in October 2020. Construction is expected to peak in mid-2021 with more than 1,000 workers on site to deliver the new maximum-security correctional centre.

The project will also direct a total of $16.3 million to social enterprises that support indigenous and disadvantaged Victorians and people with a disability. 10% of labour hours on the project are allocated to apprentices, trainees and cadets with a further 30,000 hours targeted at Victorians living in postcode areas with high unemployment.

An expansion of the prison from 700 to 1248 beds was included as part of $1.8 billion in new spending on Victoria’s prisons and corrections system announced in the 2019-20 Budget.

Construction of the prison is being managed by John Holland, overseen by the Community Safety Building Authority, which delivers infrastructure on behalf of the Department of Justice and Community Safety.