WA prison 'privatisation agenda': union

The West Australian government has been accused of pursuing a privatisation agenda with the state's prisons, prematurely deciding a new facility won't be run by the public sector.

Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis revealed last week that planning for the new prison was underway, adding on Monday that it could be a public-private partnership.

The WA Prison Officers' Union said the final report from an Economic Regulation Authority review of the state's prisons was due in November, so the minister was "pre-empting".