Plan for unused 500-bed COVID quarantine facility to be turned into low-security prison, rehabilitation centre

The Cook Government wants to turn WA’s unused COVID quarantine camp near Bullsbrook into a new prison. The 500-bed compound 40 minutes north-east of Perth has been empty since it was completed in 2022. It is one of three “centres for national resilience” constructed during the pandemic to accommodate people who needed to be isolated after arriving in Australia. Like the Brisbane and Melbourne facilities, Bullsbrook is owned by the Federal Government. It was built on Department of Defence land and is managed by the Federal Department of Finance. The Cook Government is now pushing for it to be handed over to the State so it can used as a low-security prison and rehabilitation centre. With the prison population out of control and inmates triple-bunked in cells designed for one person, jail bosses are desperate for a new home for criminals. WA Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia is being publicly coy about the Bullsbrook plan but it is understood that behind the scenes the State Government is pressing hard for a commitment from Canberra. “The State Government is continually reviewing options to manage prison capacity and ensure the safety of the community,” Mr Papalia said. “Our focus remains on maintaining a safe, secure and effective corrective services system.” The WA Government is fighting against the Australian Federal Police for the right to use the $400 million centre. It is understood the AFP indicated it is interested in using Bullsbrook for a training facility. In 2024 the AFP took over the Brisbane complex and is now using it as a regional hub. The AFP declined to comment on the issue, saying “the potential use of this facility is a matter for Government”. The Department of Finance, which has the Bullsbrook and the Melbourne facilities on care and maintenance, is open to changing the local compound’s use. “The Australian Government continues to consider potential future and alternate uses for the Centre for National Resilience in Bullsbrook, including any proposals brought forward by Commonwealth agencies or other jurisdictions,” a spokesperson said. Shadow Correctives Services Minister Adam Hort said the prison population problem was a crisis of the Government’s own making. “Just a week ago, the Government said this site was not fit for crisis accommodation for homeless Western Australians,” he said. “Now they are comfortable pursuing it as a facility for prisoners, despite the far greater work, upgrades and cost that would clearly be required to make that possible. “This leaves more questions than answers. Do the people of Bullsbrook know the Government has plans in this space? The Government must come clean and explain exactly what its plans are.” The Cook Government has dismissed pleas to use the centre to house people without homes, saying Bullsbrook’s isolation meant support services would struggle to maintain a presence.