Mount Isa leaders push for new prison to tackle high crime rate and job losses

For almost 20 years, Father Mick Lowcock has been ready to greet the busloads of men returning home from prison thousands of kilometres away. They want to build a prison in Mount Isa to address high crime rates and create jobs, an idea that's been on the backburner for almost a decade. High crime rates Crime is a hot-button issue in the lead-up to Queensland's state election on October 26, and in Mount Isa, it's centre stage. "Unfortunately for Mount Isa, we have a domestic violence rate that's about seven-and-a-half times greater than the state average", he said. Councillor Peta MacRae said council hopes to attract more federal funding to ease Mount Isa's economic transition ahead of the Glencore closure.