It has sat vacant for 1176 days. Now there’s finally interest in Perth’s COVID quarantine camp

Federal police are exploring plans to transform a long-idle WA COVID quarantine village into a major training compound.

The $400 million Bullsbrook centre was to help with the nation’s pandemic efforts, but by the time it was complete in September 2022, the state had opened its borders and the building was barely used.

It has since become an issue of contention, with a Department of Defence aquisition falling through and the state government rejecting several ideas to use the facility to help ease the housing crisis for the homeless, students and migrants, given its short distance from Perth’s CBD.

The centre is currently being managed by the Commonwealth’s Department of Finance.

Now, internal briefing papers released to this masthead under freedom of information laws show senior Australian Federal Police executives were given a full tour of the 500-bed facility in January, as part of work to “explore the possible transfer of the Perth Centre from [the Department of Finance] to the AFP”.

In the bundle, a briefing from February prepared by the AFP outlines how it planned to support training for frontline federal police within WA.

“The AFP is in discussion with DoF on the timing and amount of funding to be provided to support an initial, medium term and ongoing operationalisation of the site for training purposes,” the document states.

The document states any handover of the facility would be subject to a funding “agreement” between the DoF and the AFP, to turn the site into a training facility.

Large chunks of the document have been redacted, but visible excerpts show a wish list of “potential enhancements” by the federal police.

This includes transforming existing dormitories and health areas into dining areas, police accommodation and specialised training environments.

The logistics warehouse will be turned into a gym with a soft floor training area, which will involve installing air conditioning, heating and ventilation for “year-round use”, the briefing states.

The centre is located on Department of Defence land, with the document stating a transfer would have to be made to the AFP.

A Department of Finance spokesperson would not confirm if the AFP would be acquiring the facility and said it “remains available for a range of future uses, including national and state emergencies”.

“Arrangements for future use and management are a decision for government, including any proposals brought forward by commonwealth agencies or other jurisdictions,” the spokesperson said.

Asked about its intentions for the site, the AFP would not confirm its plans, with a spokesperson saying the potential use of the facility was a matter for government.

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