Arabic version: إغلاق مطبخ سجن ريسدون بسبب خلل في الأرضيات
According to ABC News, meals for prisoners at Hobart’s Risdon Prison Complex are being sourced from Victoria after a newly built kitchen and bakery closed because of a flooring issue. The $19.8 million facility shut on July 10, about three months after it officially opened.
The Department of Justice said an issue with the slip resistance of the kitchen flooring had been identified. It said alternative arrangements were in place to maintain essential food services for prisoners and detainees, and the kitchen was expected to return to operation once remedial work was complete. The department said the building contractor would bear the rectification cost because the fault was identified during the defects liability period.
Community and Public Sector Union organiser Adam Gore said he understood the flooring had been laid with the incorrect mix of aggregate. He said the floor was not meeting the required standard for a commercial kitchen serving about 850 people each day, and that drainage problems had prevented water from flowing properly to drains. Mr Gore said meals imported from Victoria could cost more than $90,000 a week.
The kitchen replaced aging cooking facilities at Ron Barwick Prison that were built in the 1970s. Construction reached practical completion in January 2026 before the facility entered full operations in early April, according to the CPSU. The project was intended to provide a modern setting where up to 70 inmates could receive training and work experience, while allowing up to 1,000 meals to be prepared each day.
Mr Gore said staff had raised concerns during planning and construction, including over operational readiness, staffing, safety, security and how the facility would work in practice. He said workers had ensured meals continued without disruption. Labor MP and Shadow Minister for Corrections and Rehabilitation Jen Butler called for the government to disclose the weekly cost of shipping meals to Tasmania and the eventual cost of fixing the kitchen.
