❓ A parliamentary question probes the Premier's claim about increased tourism in South-West forests following old-growth logging protection, questioning the impact of anti-logging protests and international events on tourism trends. The Premier's answer references an independent report on the economic value of recreation and tourism in WA's protected areas.
AnsweredQoN 3264Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
(1) What evidence is available to support the Premier’s claim, made in his media statement of 5 October 2004, that ‘Since becoming protected from old growth logging, our South-West forests have become a major tourist attraction’?
(2) Is it not true that, as a result of opposition to the Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) from anti-logging activities, tourism to the South-West forests dropped significantly in the lead-up to the 2001 State election?
(3) What factual data such as tourist visitations, overnight stays at accommodation providers in the South-West forest region and expenditures exist to show that current tourism levels are significantly higher than tourism levels prior to the start of the RFA dispute?
(4) What influence has international terrorism such as September 11 in New York had on domestic tourism and has there been a downturn in international tourism by Australians such that more are staying at home and visiting domestic tourism areas such as the South-West forests?
(2) Is it not true that, as a result of opposition to the Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) from anti-logging activities, tourism to the South-West forests dropped significantly in the lead-up to the 2001 State election?
(3) What factual data such as tourist visitations, overnight stays at accommodation providers in the South-West forest region and expenditures exist to show that current tourism levels are significantly higher than tourism levels prior to the start of the RFA dispute?
(4) What influence has international terrorism such as September 11 in New York had on domestic tourism and has there been a downturn in international tourism by Australians such that more are staying at home and visiting domestic tourism areas such as the South-West forests?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
26 November 2004
Response time
38 days
I would encourage the Member to read an independent report titled "Assessment of the Economic Value of Recreation and Tourism in Western Australia's National Parks, Marine Parks and Forest" by Jack Carlsen and David Wood. This report examines the impact of national parks, marine parks and forests on tourism. This study indicates that conservatively, between $61.9 to $70.5 million can be attributed to forests being the major reason for tourists visiting the Southern Region. Furthermore, the amount of new or retained tourist expenditure attributable to forests in the Southern Region is $5.7 million.
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.