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Community Kept In The Dark On Won Wron ProjectYarram and district residents are in the dark about arrangements for the former Won Wron prison’s transformation into an indigenous diversion facility, Liberal Member for Gippsland Province Philip Davis told Parliament yesterday. By Philip Davis - 22nd July 2005 - Back to News Mr Davis said since the prison was closed in February, the only information locals had received about the future of the site was an announcement in April that it would become an indigenous diversion centre for young men.
"The community was not consulted and feel that if has been left in the dark on the issue ever since," Mr Davis told the Parliament.
"The residents who live adjacent to the prison, particularly the farmers who live directly next door to it, have a strong view that after nearly 40 years they will finally not have prisoners living next door to them.
"But now in effect they are about to have prisoners being relocated to a prison which they were looking forward to being closed, so they are a little distressed about this change in government policy.
"There is real concern about the arrangements of this diversion program, because, unlike a conventional corrections facility, the rules for the inmates are not clear."
Mr Davis said the Yarram community felt it had been deceived by the Bracks Government in excluding it from all consultation when deciding the future of the prison site and subsequent to that with the arrangements of how the diversion program would operate.
He said the Yarram community had so many unanswered questions and it was time the Police Minister Tim Holding came clean and addressed community concerns.
"Since raising this matter in Parliament, I have made representations to the Minister asking him to give the Yarram community some re-assurance that the Bracks Government knows what it is doing and address their issues of concern," Mr Davis said.
"Experience has shown us that the Bracks Government hates to consult with communities before making life-altering decisions.
"But in this instance, keeping the community informed about the implications of this indigenous diversion facility is imperative."
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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