The new Chisholm Road Prison under construction in Lara has surpassed local employment goals with more than 45,000 labour hours completed by Geelong and Colac workers, exceeding the project target by 50 per cent.
The project has now injected $200 million into the local economy – $126 million for services and supplies from businesses in Greater Geelong and Melbourne’s western suburbs, and $74 million to employ local sub-contractors and workers living within 30 kilometres of the project site.
Specific employment targets for workers in the Geelong suburbs of Corio, Norlane, Whittington and parts of Colac were set prior to the start of construction in February 2020.
These postcodes were identified as focus areas for targeted recruitment in consultation with the G21 Regional Opportunities for Work (GROW) initiative. GROW is a joint initiative of G21 and the Give Where You Live Foundation which aims to address disadvantage and maximise investment in the region’s workforce by increasing local job opportunities.
The Chisholm Road Prison Project is continuing to recruit from targeted postcodes, after exceeding an initial offering of 30,000 labour hours to workers in these areas.
The project entered its peak construction phase last month. More than 1,200 workers are now on-site to construct the new prison near the existing Barwon Prison Precinct. Workforce numbers are expected to top 1,400.
At least 10 per cent of labour hours on the project are allocated to young workers including apprentices, trainees and cadets. An extra $16.3 million has been directed to social enterprises that support Indigenous and disadvantaged Victorians and people with a disability in gaining employment.
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.
The project is scheduled for completion in 2022.
