Is this white elephant COVID centre about to become WA's newest prison?

The conversion of WA's COVID-era quarantine centre into a prison could be one step closer, with the Justice Department calling in architects to look at how it could be repurposed.

Located about 40 kilometres north-east of Perth's CBD, the 500-bed 'Centre for National Resilience' has sat virtually dormant since it was completed in 2022.

Earlier this year it emerged the Justice Department was eyeing off the facility for a prison, in a bid to ease pressure on the state's overcrowded jails.

The following month it was used for quarantine purposes for the first, and so far only, time when it hosted six passengers evacuated from a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship.

Last week, according to publicly available information, the department signed an $86,955 contract with national firm Cox Architecture for architectural engineering.

The tender was titled 'Repurpose Centre for National Resilience' and runs until June next year.

"The contract is part of normal due diligence processes for investigating the potential repurposing of sites," a Department spokesperson told the ABC.

"The Department continues to explore potential options to meet the infrastructure demands attributed to the rising prisoner population."

Prison overcrowding worsens

Overcrowding had become so bad in WA's jails that some prisoners were being subjected to "cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment", according to a report from the state's Inspector of Custodial Services in June.

At the core of the problem, Inspector of Custodial Services Eamon Ryan said, was a 37 per cent increase in the prison population since early 2023 without commensurate growth in cells or staff.

The government has blamed that rapid growth on a dip in prison populations during the COVID pandemic, and higher numbers of people being charged with, and convicted of, family and domestic violence offences.

"This is what happens when a government fails to plan ahead," Shadow Corrective Services Minister Adam Hort said.

"The prison system runs out of room, the government scrambles for the nearest option, and taxpayers are left to pick up the bill.

"Western Australians should not be paying top dollar to patch up a facility that was never ever built to be a prison, when what WA needs is properly planned, fit-for-purpose prison infrastructure."

'Always look for more space'

Asked about overcrowding on Wednesday, Corrective Services Commissioner and acting Justice Department director-general Brad Royce pointed to "significant" work across the state.

That includes an extra 480 beds being added under an expansion of Acacia Prison, intended to open in 2029, on top of "infill" to create more beds at existing facilities.

Mr Royce said he would also be looking for "bigger infrastructure into 2030, 2031", including a new remand prison.

"In my role I'm always looking for opportunities for more space," he told reporters.

"[The] Bullsbrook site, the Resilience Centre, is actually a Commonwealth asset, so at this stage it's not for me.

"If it gets to a point where that's available, then yes, I will be interested."

Mr Hort said those measures were coming too late.

"I have no doubt that there are a bunch of solutions sitting on the minister's desk, and that have been sitting on many ministers' desks over the years, saying this is what we need to do to safely expand the prison estate, but they haven't been acted on," he said.

All options on table: minister

Corrective Services Minister Tony Buti said "nothing's off the cards" when asked about the facility.

"If we come to a solution and we do have an announcement to make, I'm sure we'll let you know," he said.

"We are considering all possible options."

The Bullsbrook quarantine centre site is owned by the Commonwealth government and is currently managed by the federal Department of Finance.

"The Australian government continues to consider potential future and alternate uses for the Centre for National Resilience," a government spokesperson said in response to questions to Minister for Finance Katy Gallagher.

A department spokesperson said it continued to manage the facility "to ensure it remains available for a range of future uses, including national and state emergencies".