CANBERRA, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- A prominent business group has called for an maximum-security prison to be built to detain high-level terrorists in the nation's Outback.
The Alice Springs Major Business Group (ASMBG), which represents business in Central Australia, has lobbied federal Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and Northern Territory (NT) Chief Minister Michael Gunner for the new facility to be built.
In a letter to Gunner, the ASMBG said the prison would serve as a "centralized USA-style federal penitentiary."
"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," David Batic, chair of the group and Alice Springs airport manager, wrote.
"Despite the magnitude of the consequences there is no agreed approach to managing Australia's terror prisoners."
The group has estimated the cost of the facility to be between 450 million Australian dollars (319 million U.S. dollars) and 600 million Australian dollars (425 million U.S. dollars) and said it could be eligible for funding under the Federal Government's Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund.
In order to go ahead, the plan would need to be signed off by the Federal Government because it would hold prisoners who had broken federal laws.
Gunner on Tuesday said the facility was not in his government's plans, but said he would not prevent it from going ahead as a private sector project.
