A regional campus of Australia’s most remote university is set to add “prison work camp” to a portfolio of activities that includes testing drones, breeding Brahman cattle, copyrighting bushfoods and researching virtual fencing.

Charles Darwin University (CDU) plans to host an “open-security work camp” at its Katherine Rural Campus, about 300 kilometres south of Darwin and 16 kilometres from the regional hub of Katherine.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed on 1 December, the Northern Territory (NT) government will refurbish and lease campus buildings to house 130 low-security inmates. They will undertake training in agricultural skills and supervised work on public projects, environmental maintenance and other community services.

“This is about tackling the root causes of crime and giving prisoners a chance to start a new chapter in their lives,” said NT chief minister Lia Finocchiaro.

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CDU vice-chancellor Scott Bowman described the project as “business as usual” for a university that already delivered “proven” training to prisoners elsewhere in the territory. “The objective is to help reintegrate inmates into our communities and give them the best chance to avoid reoffending.”

Katherine Rural Campus, a 4,400-hectare farm which became part of the dual-sector university in 2001, offers training in agricultural skills from cattle husbandry, horsemanship and fencing to chemical use, welding and outboard motor maintenance. It hosts research in agriculture, defence and biosecurity, with facilities including a , a , a and a cotton plantation.

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The government promised to hold “community information sessions” with Katherine locals before beginning work on the new work camp early next year. The facility could eventually be expanded to accommodate 198 inmates.

The “strict selection criteria” governing admissions will include “demonstrating good behaviour and completing offence-related programmes”, the government said.

The idea nevertheless ruffled feathers when news of the plan emerged last May. The United Workers Union questioned how enough corrections staff would be found to manage the new facility, according to the .

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com