Residents fear a detention centre

RESIDENTS living close to the soon-to-be mothballed Borallon Correction Centre in Ipswich say they want to be consulted about plans to turn the prison into an immigration detention centre.

The State Government on Friday confirmed the prison will be closed soon, with prisoners sent to a new correctional centre near Gatton.

The decision came just about a month after Corrective Services Minister Neil Roberts confirmed there had been preliminary discussions with the Federal Government about Borallon being used as an immigration detention centre.

Ipswich West MP Wayne Wendt, whose electorate covers the prison located about 13km north-west of the Ipswich city centre, said he'd prefer the centre be used as a detention centre to create jobs, rather than it sit idle.

But some nearby residents, and LNP candidate for Ipswich West Sean Choat, fear that if an immigration centre was introduced, it could suffer the problems that have beset other centres such as Villawood, in Sydney.

Ironbark resident Karen Green said she was concerned the fires and riots that happened at Villawood recently could occur close to her home if Borallon was changed.

"I would like to know if we're going to have it or not - no one knows what is happening and we haven't been told anything," she said.

"People seem to be more worried about a detention centre than a prison."

Another nearby resident, who did not want to be named, said he simply did not want an immigration centre nearby.

"You only have to look at what happens at Christmas Island and some of the other sites," the man said about detention centres.

Mr Roberts said in a statement there had been preliminary discussions with the Federal Government about an immigration centre in Queensland.

He last month specifically said the Borallon Correctional Centre had been raised as a potential site.

"However, there is no agreement and no undertakings given, and no decisions made on this concept," he said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship said the government had made no decision about any new detention centres.