❓ Mr Waldron asks about the Minister's announcement of the wheatbelt's first national park (Dryandra). The Minister responds by highlighting the park's significance, tourism potential, and conservation efforts, particularly for numbats and woylies, while also criticising the opposition's conservation record.
AnsweredQoN 891Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DRYANDRA NATIONAL
PARK
891. Mr T.K. WALDRON to the Minister for
Environment:
Before
I ask my question, I would like to acknowledge and welcome to Parliament the
students and staff from Carnamah District High School in the electorate of the
member for Moore. I welcome them to the public gallery today .
Can
the minister please update the house on his recent announcement to create the
wheatbelt's first national park?
PARK
891. Mr T.K. WALDRON to the Minister for
Environment:
Before
I ask my question, I would like to acknowledge and welcome to Parliament the
students and staff from Carnamah District High School in the electorate of the
member for Moore. I welcome them to the public gallery today .
Can
the minister please update the house on his recent announcement to create the
wheatbelt's first national park?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Wagin for the
question.
This Liberal–National
government has in recent weeks announced that it will be creating the first
national park in this state to be wholly located within the wheatbelt. This
will be our 102 nd national park in Western Australia. At Dryandra,
which is a well-known site not too far from the Perth CBD, we will create a 16 400-hectare
national park wholly located within the wheatbelt. Dryandra is an incredibly
special place. Dryandra has significant cultural and recreational values. It is
already a significant tourism destination for Western Australians, including
those from the metropolitan area. It has significant educational value. It also
has significant regional tourism economic value, which is something we seek to
take advantage of through our conservation estate. Indeed, Dryandra already
attracts more than 52 000 visitors a year. The decision to create a national
park over Dryandra is especially important for its fauna, which it is very well
known for. It is one of the last homes of numbats in the wild, as well as
woylies. This segues in very well with this government's commitment to
create a 1 000-hectare predator-free sanctuary within Dryandra to continue to
populate that area, and to continue to make sure that we have a sustainable
population.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mr
A.P. JACOB : I get the question from the member for Gosnells—is this
enough? Is creating a 102 nd national park enough? Maybe not, member
for Gosnells, but I will tell you what—this Liberal–National
government —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : We are getting the wall of noise! Carry on, minister.
Mr
A.P. JACOB : The continued expansion of Western Australia's
conservation estate will be the legacy of this Liberal–National
government, and it will be one that will not be matched again. No other state
government before us has done what we have done in conservation, and I predict
no-one will do again what we have done for the expansion of the conservation
estate. I am just talking about one national park. It will be the first time WA
will have a national park in the wheatbelt. Added to that, we are creating the
largest terrestrial national park in Australia across the Mitchell Plateau.
Added to that is our marine park legacy, taking the marine park estate —
Several members interjected.
Mr
A.P. JACOB : If members opposite want to hold up a program, here is an
example for them. They might not be listening, but I tell members what—the
conservation movement is listening and has noticed. There is also the Save our
Marine Life group—I know members on this side have had a copy of this
book. There is an acknowledgment that when it comes to a track record in
conservation, it is Liberal governments—it is this Liberal–National
government—that deliver; the opposition just sits in this place and
yells.
Mr
D.J. Kelly interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Bassendean, I call you to order for the first time.
The
SPEAKER : I hope you have finished, minister.
Mr
A.P. JACOB : I have, Mr Speaker. All I say is that the greatest expansion of
the conservation estate of Western Australia has been undertaken by this
Liberal–National government, and we never hear an acknowledgement from
those opposite. They can never achieve. We achieve and we deliver.
question.
This Liberal–National
government has in recent weeks announced that it will be creating the first
national park in this state to be wholly located within the wheatbelt. This
will be our 102 nd national park in Western Australia. At Dryandra,
which is a well-known site not too far from the Perth CBD, we will create a 16 400-hectare
national park wholly located within the wheatbelt. Dryandra is an incredibly
special place. Dryandra has significant cultural and recreational values. It is
already a significant tourism destination for Western Australians, including
those from the metropolitan area. It has significant educational value. It also
has significant regional tourism economic value, which is something we seek to
take advantage of through our conservation estate. Indeed, Dryandra already
attracts more than 52 000 visitors a year. The decision to create a national
park over Dryandra is especially important for its fauna, which it is very well
known for. It is one of the last homes of numbats in the wild, as well as
woylies. This segues in very well with this government's commitment to
create a 1 000-hectare predator-free sanctuary within Dryandra to continue to
populate that area, and to continue to make sure that we have a sustainable
population.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mr
A.P. JACOB : I get the question from the member for Gosnells—is this
enough? Is creating a 102 nd national park enough? Maybe not, member
for Gosnells, but I will tell you what—this Liberal–National
government —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : We are getting the wall of noise! Carry on, minister.
Mr
A.P. JACOB : The continued expansion of Western Australia's
conservation estate will be the legacy of this Liberal–National
government, and it will be one that will not be matched again. No other state
government before us has done what we have done in conservation, and I predict
no-one will do again what we have done for the expansion of the conservation
estate. I am just talking about one national park. It will be the first time WA
will have a national park in the wheatbelt. Added to that, we are creating the
largest terrestrial national park in Australia across the Mitchell Plateau.
Added to that is our marine park legacy, taking the marine park estate —
Several members interjected.
Mr
A.P. JACOB : If members opposite want to hold up a program, here is an
example for them. They might not be listening, but I tell members what—the
conservation movement is listening and has noticed. There is also the Save our
Marine Life group—I know members on this side have had a copy of this
book. There is an acknowledgment that when it comes to a track record in
conservation, it is Liberal governments—it is this Liberal–National
government—that deliver; the opposition just sits in this place and
yells.
Mr
D.J. Kelly interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Bassendean, I call you to order for the first time.
The
SPEAKER : I hope you have finished, minister.
Mr
A.P. JACOB : I have, Mr Speaker. All I say is that the greatest expansion of
the conservation estate of Western Australia has been undertaken by this
Liberal–National government, and we never hear an acknowledgement from
those opposite. They can never achieve. We achieve and we deliver.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.