Mr. Kelly questions the prioritisation of shark drum line program funding over school funding cuts. The Acting Premier defends the program, highlighting its purpose and comparing it to practices in other states, while also mentioning investments in alternative shark deterrent research.

AnsweredQoN 280Legislative Assembly
Asked
10 April 2014
Portfolio
Acting Premier

QuestionView source ↗

SHARK DRUM LINE PROGRAM
280. Mr D.J. KELLY to the
Acting Premier:
I have a supplementary question. Why should the Western
Australian public accept school funding cuts when the government has appeared
to give this pet project a blank cheque?

AnswerView source ↗

It is clearly not a blank cheque. The projects were put out
to tender. Those tenders were awarded, those organisations were put in place,
and funds were provided for the Department of Fisheries to do its component of
it. Groups in Western Australia are protesting against drum lines, yet those
same organisations totally ignore and make no comment about the fact that for
50 years Queensland has had drum lines that have smaller hooks and a greater
by-catch and New South Wales has nets. The drum lines have been put in place to
protect the citizens of Western Australia not as a total solution but to aid in
the reduction of attacks by sharks on people in Western Australia. We are
spending a large amount of money on other aspects of that policy, particularly
research into shark repellents, research on sounds that may repel sharks and
research on wetsuit designs that may repel sharks. We are working very hard to
protect the public of Western Australia and we will continue to do so.

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