These Guys Want to Build an 'Australian Alcatraz' in the Outback

Australia’s famous for its penal colonies, but it’s probably not as famous as Alcatraz. The island prison in San Francisco Bay—operating between 1934 and 1963—has an international reputation as the former repository of the United States’ most notorious federal criminals. And in all of Australia, there’s no prison quite like it.

But what if there was? An Australian Alcatraz, smack-bang in the middle of the outback, where the country’s high-level terrorists could be locked away. That’s the proposal that’s been put forward by the Alice Springs Major Business Group (ASMBG), who are pushing to have a "centralised USA-style federal penitentiary" opened in the Red Centre, according to the ABC.

“There is a misconception that once incarcerated, terrorists cease to be a risk,” David Batic, the chair of the group, wrote in a letter to the Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner. "The ASMBG recognises the critical issues associated with management of incarcerated terrorists within the current Australian correctional system and are proposing a dedicated terrorist correctional facility to be built in Central Australia.

"Despite the magnitude of the consequences there is no agreed approach [between the NSW and Victorian governments] to managing Australia's terror prisoners."

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The Alcatraz approach would essentially see them all thrown in together, in a facility specifically designed for people who have been convicted of federal crimes. The prison’s start-up costs would be somewhere in the area of $600 million, The Australian reports, and would require the prior approval of the Federal Government in order to go ahead. But not everyone’s thrilled with the idea.

"How can the Government even consider building the equivalent to Guantanamo Bay just down the road from some of the country's most important cultural and tourism locations?" said Opposition Leader Gary Higgins, who is also responsible for coining the “Australian Alcatraz” moniker. “The Opposition… does not support prison pursuits that seek to attract terrorists, not tourists, to Central Australia,” he added.

While admitting that the private sector idea does not fall within his particular jurisdiction, Mr Gunner defined the proposal as “the worst of the worst”, and expressed concerns about the facility being built in the area of Alice Springs.

“Alice Springs is a very important place,” he said, pointing to the area’s existing ties to the Defence Force and cautioning against introducing anything that would clash with that industry.