One local business owner who supplies goods to Dhurringile Prison says her business will not be the only one to suffer a loss of income; the community initiatives it supports could also take a hit.
Everyday Supplies has a standing order from the prison to supply toilet paper, hand towels and cleaning products.
“This was a regular bulk order each month, so it comes off our bottom line,” Everyday Supplies co-owner Jac McCarty said.
“As a regular supporter of local charities and sporting clubs, less income means less we can put back into the community.”
Ms McCarty said she was disappointed for the Dhurringile and Tatura areas, as the announcement the prison would close at the end of August directly impacted families, businesses and schools.
“It is another blow to local business owners who are doing it tough and also disruptive to prison employees and their families who have to pack and move mid-year with children,” she said.
“Prior consultation with the community or, at minimum, the Dhurringile staff should have been a given.
“No thought has been put into impacts on small local communities and businesses.”
The minimum security prison has been operating for nearly 60 years.
When it closes on August 31, up to 250 local jobs, including 160 on-site, will be terminated.
Victorian Corrections Minister Enver Erdogan said about 50 prisoners were expected to be discharged from Dhurringile Prison by September as their terms expired.
“We had the opportunity to move on this, and able to transfer to Beechworth, so a swift transfer makes sense,” he said.
“Not all staff may be leaving by September, as some may stay on for the decommissioning.”
State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland said the closure had taken staff by surprise, learning of their impending termination through media reports.
“Staff at the prison were kept in the dark about the future of the prison, only finding out as news of its closure became public knowledge,” Ms Cleeland said.
“With just eight weeks until the prison closes its doors, there has still been no discussion about the transition process or re-training support for those who lost their jobs.
“The only option provided to staff so far has been to uproot their lives and move across the state to other facilities or find employment in a new industry locally.
“This is simply not enough time for staff to make a transition that will have a major impact on their careers and the livelihoods of their families.”
Ms Cleeland said the government’s decision was “heartless and reckless”.
“This was a rushed decision that failed to incorporate the local community and staff at the prison,” the Nationals MP said.
“Labor cannot manage money, they cannot manage a project, and regional jobs are now in the crosshairs of their dysfunctional management of our state.”
The new government prison in Lara won’t be operational until mid-next year, which Ms Cleeland said showed a glaring lack of forward planning and care for employees.
“Labor has failed to provide any insight into what the existing infrastructure will be used for, and how jobs can remain in the local community,” she said.
An employee who has worked at Dhurringile Prison for more than three years said she was losing more than just a job, and also expressed empathy for the prisoners at the facility.
“I’ve lost what I thought was my forever job with my forever work team that has become my family,” the medical team member said.
“We’re shattered that Dhurringile has to close, and the men (the prisoners), some of who are really settled, have to be uprooted to another location.”