NSW Opposition calls for Long Bay Jail to be demolished and turned into housing estate

A heritage-listed beachside prison could be bulldozed if the Liberals win the next NSW election, with the Opposition promising to sell off Long Bay Correctional complex in Sydney’s east and redevelop it for housing.

The 116 year-old complex holds up to 1200 prisoners at any time and also houses the Long Bay Jail Hospital — a maximum security ward that has the capacity to keep up to 120 of Australia’s most dangerous criminals.

The jail has kept a number of notorious inmates over the years including backpacker murderer Ivan Milat and youth crime leader, Bilal Skaf, who in the 2000s led a group to commit a wave of atrocious gang rape attacks.

Long Bay, designed by Walter Liberty Vernon, is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register.

The Coalition’s $3 billion election promise would demolish the still-functioning Long Bay Jail and transform the 50-hectare site into 12,000 new homes in a bid to tackle the state’s housing crisis.

NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said the jail was past its use by date.

“We want to turn the relic of the past into hope and homes for the next generation,” Speakman said on Sunday.

“We know there will be a surplus from this proposal that will be available to reinvest in local schools, in local hospitals if that’s necessary, in open spaces and local roads and in providing public transport.”

However, NSW Labor Premier Chris Minns said substantial infrastructure investment would be required to make the project viable, with a new metro or train line needed to support the development.

“There’s no train station at Long Bay, there’s no train station at Maroubra,” Minns said.

“If we’re going to build and have more density closer to the city, it’s got to be on public transport lines otherwise we just keep repeating the mistakes of the past.”

In its Long Bay promise, the opposition said about 30 per cent of the development would be for social and affordable housing.

The development would also include new childcare centres, healthcare services and green spaces, all connected to improved transport infrastructure

Current inmates wouldn’t move until a new facility was built.

The Illawarra region, south of Sydney, has been flagged as a possible location for a new correctional complex.

The election promise marks the beginning in what is expected to be a heated campaign leading up to the 2027 state election, with housing affordability likely to be a key battleground issue.