First, the expansion allows the NSW Government to push a tough on crime agenda that always plays well with voters.

The Bathurst jail expansion will provide 220 new maximum security beds to lock up some of the worst offenders in the state - and governments love locking up bad guys.

Second, the expansion is creating something of a jobs boom in Bathurst during construction, and will also create plenty of new jobs once it's up and running - and governments love finding new jobs.

And, finally, the new maximum security wing at Bathurst Correctional Centre will further cement the Bathurst district as one of the major jail centres in the state.

With four correctional centres within a 50 kilometre radius including Lithgow, Kirkconnell and Sunny Corner we really are making crime pay for us.

Those four jails provide jobs for hundreds of local families and put millions of dollars into local economies every year.

And those jails are just another plank in a diversified local economy that helps safeguard the region against the booms and busts that other regional centres must endure.

Rather than relying primarily on mining interests to keep the local wheels turning, the Bathurst region benefits from varied sectors including education, retail, agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and corrections to remain buoyant.

And so the government's $110 million investment in the Bathurst Correctional Centre is actually a $110 million investment in the broader Bathurst community.

It's a great story for us all.