❓ Ms. D'Anna questions the Minister for Regional Development about the remediation of the Warmun aged-care facility, neglected by the previous government, and its potential for long-term benefits for Aboriginal residents. The Minister details the previous government's failures and highlights the current government's investment and community-led solutions.
AnsweredQoN 400Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WARMUN AGED-CARE FACILITY
400. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Regional Development:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
investment in Western Australian remote communities.
(1) Can the minister update the house on the
remediation of the Warmun aged-care facility, which was neglected by the
former Liberal–National government?
(2) Can the
minister advise how the remediation project will provide long-term prosperity
and employment opportunities for the Aboriginal residents of that community?
400. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Regional Development:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
investment in Western Australian remote communities.
(1) Can the minister update the house on the
remediation of the Warmun aged-care facility, which was neglected by the
former Liberal–National government?
(2) Can the
minister advise how the remediation project will provide long-term prosperity
and employment opportunities for the Aboriginal residents of that community?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for her question, and I want to acknowledge her care and
persistence for all the communities in her
electorate, both large and small, and her persistence in getting a solution to
a long-held injustice for the people of Warmun. This injustice goes back
to 2011 when the people of Warmun experienced a sudden flash flood. They lost
everything. They lost their houses, belongings and even their pets. It was a major
event in the lives of the people, and they still talk about it today.
The then Liberal–National
government promised a rebuild, and it started the rebuild. The only thing is
that the government forgot the people of Warmun, and nowhere is that more
crystallised than in the construction of the
Walumba elder care centre. This care centre was completed in 2014. It won an
architect's award and sustainability awards, but it never
opened. The members of the National and Liberal Parties were there to cut the
ribbon, and then, as the Minister for Transport alluded to, all they ever did
after that was fly over the top of Warmun and wave to them. They forgot the
people of Warmun. That building stood as a symbol of a building that they could
not use because it was not fit for purpose and did not meet aged-care criteria
and, importantly, there was no operating framework for the people. They were
left with a building that was slowly decaying in front of their eyes.
What
does that say to a community? What does that say about the value of a community?
It was an appalling set of circumstances, but our member was there, and
she spoke with the previous minister, and she spoke with me. She has had those
conversations with the people of that community about what the future
opportunities should be. The people have spent a lot of time thinking about how
they can best use an asset built by the Liberals and Nationals that was not fit
for purpose and was wasted money. They have been very creative. They have come
out and developed a concept based on workers' accommodation, which is
something that Warmun vitally needs to support a workforce within that
community. They have come up with options to
use the commercial laundry. They have come up with options to use the
commercial k itchen for revenue raising, and they have new hope thanks to
our member for Kimberley.
We have come to the party. The Cook
government has come to the party and made $2.9 million available to address the
faulty plumbing and power supply issues and to make that building fit for the
use that the community now want it to be used for, and that is thanks to the
member for Kimberley. This was because members of the previous government did
not sit and talk with the local people. For all the talk about localisation and
the importance of local communities, they ignored Warmun—probably
because there were not a lot of votes there for them. They did not have the
conversations. They were happy to take credit for a building that was an
architect's dream, but they were not taking any responsibility for the
people of Warmun, and that summarises the attitude of the Liberal–National
government to regional WA. It will take the pickings when it can, and it will
leave the hard yards to somebody else. It is a Cook Labor government that has
addressed and fixed the issue. It is a symbol of Warmun and how the community
can go forward.
When
I was up there with the Premier and cabinet ministers, there was a real sense
of energy in the East Kimberley. There was a sense of vibrancy. There
was a sense of hope. Everywhere we went, people were talking to us about the future and about the collaboration they
have with the Cook Labor government . Therefore, members, when it comes
to the current leadership of the National Party, it is certainly a love affair
that WA simply cannot afford to have.
The SPEAKER : I call the
member for Cottesloe with the last question.
thank the member for her question, and I want to acknowledge her care and
persistence for all the communities in her
electorate, both large and small, and her persistence in getting a solution to
a long-held injustice for the people of Warmun. This injustice goes back
to 2011 when the people of Warmun experienced a sudden flash flood. They lost
everything. They lost their houses, belongings and even their pets. It was a major
event in the lives of the people, and they still talk about it today.
The then Liberal–National
government promised a rebuild, and it started the rebuild. The only thing is
that the government forgot the people of Warmun, and nowhere is that more
crystallised than in the construction of the
Walumba elder care centre. This care centre was completed in 2014. It won an
architect's award and sustainability awards, but it never
opened. The members of the National and Liberal Parties were there to cut the
ribbon, and then, as the Minister for Transport alluded to, all they ever did
after that was fly over the top of Warmun and wave to them. They forgot the
people of Warmun. That building stood as a symbol of a building that they could
not use because it was not fit for purpose and did not meet aged-care criteria
and, importantly, there was no operating framework for the people. They were
left with a building that was slowly decaying in front of their eyes.
What
does that say to a community? What does that say about the value of a community?
It was an appalling set of circumstances, but our member was there, and
she spoke with the previous minister, and she spoke with me. She has had those
conversations with the people of that community about what the future
opportunities should be. The people have spent a lot of time thinking about how
they can best use an asset built by the Liberals and Nationals that was not fit
for purpose and was wasted money. They have been very creative. They have come
out and developed a concept based on workers' accommodation, which is
something that Warmun vitally needs to support a workforce within that
community. They have come up with options to
use the commercial laundry. They have come up with options to use the
commercial k itchen for revenue raising, and they have new hope thanks to
our member for Kimberley.
We have come to the party. The Cook
government has come to the party and made $2.9 million available to address the
faulty plumbing and power supply issues and to make that building fit for the
use that the community now want it to be used for, and that is thanks to the
member for Kimberley. This was because members of the previous government did
not sit and talk with the local people. For all the talk about localisation and
the importance of local communities, they ignored Warmun—probably
because there were not a lot of votes there for them. They did not have the
conversations. They were happy to take credit for a building that was an
architect's dream, but they were not taking any responsibility for the
people of Warmun, and that summarises the attitude of the Liberal–National
government to regional WA. It will take the pickings when it can, and it will
leave the hard yards to somebody else. It is a Cook Labor government that has
addressed and fixed the issue. It is a symbol of Warmun and how the community
can go forward.
When
I was up there with the Premier and cabinet ministers, there was a real sense
of energy in the East Kimberley. There was a sense of vibrancy. There
was a sense of hope. Everywhere we went, people were talking to us about the future and about the collaboration they
have with the Cook Labor government . Therefore, members, when it comes
to the current leadership of the National Party, it is certainly a love affair
that WA simply cannot afford to have.
The SPEAKER : I call the
member for Cottesloe with the last question.
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