New Grafton jail 'welcome news', says business

THE Northern Rivers - NSW Business Chamber has welcomed the announcement by State Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis on the plans to open a new Grafton jail facility by 2019.

The announcement included details of some 100 new jobs that will be created to work in the new complex.

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Regional manager John Murray said the announcement was a "…breath of fresh air" to the Grafton business community, who had been rallying long and hard to have the facility retuned to the region since its closure in 2012.

Mr Murray said the area had been "… hit hard" by a number of closures in the past few years and this had impacted negatively on the Grafton economy.