❓ Mr. Catania questions the Minister for Emergency Services on the status and timeline of a workers' accommodation camp in Kalbarri following Cyclone Seroja. The Minister responds by highlighting state and federal government collaboration and criticizes the opposition's lack of engagement.
AnsweredQoN 756Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CYCLONE SEROJA —
TEMPORARY WORKERS' ACCOMMODATION
756. Mr V.A. CATANIA to the Minister for Emergency Services:
In 2025, maybe!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member, can you
just wait until we have silence, thanks.
Mr V.A. CATANIA : Thank you,
Madam Speaker.
I refer to the minister's
response to my question asked on 12 October 2021 about the provision of workers'
accommodation in Kalbarri and his confirmation that having secured an area of
land for a workers' accommodation camp,
work was underway to provide a workers' camp that will be scalable.
What is the status of this work and when will this workers' accommodation camp in Kalbarri be available
for use, particularly by much-needed tradespeople?
TEMPORARY WORKERS' ACCOMMODATION
756. Mr V.A. CATANIA to the Minister for Emergency Services:
In 2025, maybe!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member, can you
just wait until we have silence, thanks.
Mr V.A. CATANIA : Thank you,
Madam Speaker.
I refer to the minister's
response to my question asked on 12 October 2021 about the provision of workers'
accommodation in Kalbarri and his confirmation that having secured an area of
land for a workers' accommodation camp,
work was underway to provide a workers' camp that will be scalable.
What is the status of this work and when will this workers' accommodation camp in Kalbarri be available
for use, particularly by much-needed tradespeople?
AnswerView source ↗
I
thank the member for the question. This is one of the key issues that we are
pursuing as a government. I want to make the point that for the first time in
history a joint disaster recovery funding agreement has been reached between
the state and federal governments for the provision of accommodation for a workforce
to rebuild the midwest—not just Kalbarri, but also those other
important centres throughout the midwest region. Indeed, we have a State
Recovery Controller with extensive experience in local government and the
Department of Fire and Emergency Services who has been working tirelessly with
the 16 impacted local communities. The state government has been working very
well with the federal government and my federal counterpart, the Minister for
Emergency Management, Senator the Hon Bridget McKenzie.
What
I am sorry to see is a lack of on-the-ground support and engagement by members
opposite. Time after time —
Point of Order
Mr V.A.
CATANIA : Point of order.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr V.A. CATANIA : I clearly
asked the minister: what is the status of the work in relation to the workers'
accommodation? It is a clear question. Can the minister answer the question,
please?
The SPEAKER : Member, your
point of order is not upheld. The minister is entitled to answer as he sees
fit.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr R.R. WHITBY : Thank you,
Madam Speaker.
We know that people like the member
for Geraldton and Hon Sandra Carr have rolled up their sleeves and engaged directly with the community. These progressive,
strong, engaging women parliamentarians have shown up Nationals members
in their own seats. They have gone out with clinics in the community, in town
after town. They have got the information and represented constituents in a way
that the member has never done. They have been part of the solution as well.
In terms of the accommodation, I can
tell the member that this state government is working with the federal government. I am not going to talk out of turn and
criticise my federal colleagues. If the member wants to play a role in this, I suggest he call the federal minister
and the Prime Minister and encourage them. We are awaiting a response
from the federal government. We work cooperatively—that is the way we
do this. The joint federal funding arrangements require cooperation between the
state and federal governments. We are very close, member, to not just
delivering a camp in this community, but also acquiring facilities on the
ground in a very rapid way that are very
scalable and will be available to tradespeople. Not only that, member, we are
working in Northampton, Perenjori , Morawa
and Mingenew to provide accommodation for workers in those localities as well.
They will be able to provide accommodation for workforces that can go out in a radius
to those farm communities, because we have to remember that it is not
Kalbarri alone; it is the entire midwest region that has suffered. The greatest
need is in Kalbarri—that is accepted—then Northampton and then
throughout the rest of the region.
This
was a massive emergency. It has been a massive response. I think if the member
looks back at what has happened to date and to what is about to happen,
he should be applauding the state government, the federal government and the
local government response, not always criticising it.
The SPEAKER : The member
for North West Central with a supplementary question, and this will be the last
question.
thank the member for the question. This is one of the key issues that we are
pursuing as a government. I want to make the point that for the first time in
history a joint disaster recovery funding agreement has been reached between
the state and federal governments for the provision of accommodation for a workforce
to rebuild the midwest—not just Kalbarri, but also those other
important centres throughout the midwest region. Indeed, we have a State
Recovery Controller with extensive experience in local government and the
Department of Fire and Emergency Services who has been working tirelessly with
the 16 impacted local communities. The state government has been working very
well with the federal government and my federal counterpart, the Minister for
Emergency Management, Senator the Hon Bridget McKenzie.
What
I am sorry to see is a lack of on-the-ground support and engagement by members
opposite. Time after time —
Point of Order
Mr V.A.
CATANIA : Point of order.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr V.A. CATANIA : I clearly
asked the minister: what is the status of the work in relation to the workers'
accommodation? It is a clear question. Can the minister answer the question,
please?
The SPEAKER : Member, your
point of order is not upheld. The minister is entitled to answer as he sees
fit.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr R.R. WHITBY : Thank you,
Madam Speaker.
We know that people like the member
for Geraldton and Hon Sandra Carr have rolled up their sleeves and engaged directly with the community. These progressive,
strong, engaging women parliamentarians have shown up Nationals members
in their own seats. They have gone out with clinics in the community, in town
after town. They have got the information and represented constituents in a way
that the member has never done. They have been part of the solution as well.
In terms of the accommodation, I can
tell the member that this state government is working with the federal government. I am not going to talk out of turn and
criticise my federal colleagues. If the member wants to play a role in this, I suggest he call the federal minister
and the Prime Minister and encourage them. We are awaiting a response
from the federal government. We work cooperatively—that is the way we
do this. The joint federal funding arrangements require cooperation between the
state and federal governments. We are very close, member, to not just
delivering a camp in this community, but also acquiring facilities on the
ground in a very rapid way that are very
scalable and will be available to tradespeople. Not only that, member, we are
working in Northampton, Perenjori , Morawa
and Mingenew to provide accommodation for workers in those localities as well.
They will be able to provide accommodation for workforces that can go out in a radius
to those farm communities, because we have to remember that it is not
Kalbarri alone; it is the entire midwest region that has suffered. The greatest
need is in Kalbarri—that is accepted—then Northampton and then
throughout the rest of the region.
This
was a massive emergency. It has been a massive response. I think if the member
looks back at what has happened to date and to what is about to happen,
he should be applauding the state government, the federal government and the
local government response, not always criticising it.
The SPEAKER : The member
for North West Central with a supplementary question, and this will be the last
question.
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