Mrs. Harvey questions the Premier about the Westport Taskforce final report, suggesting the outer harbour is an unnecessary duplication that will harm Fremantle port jobs. The Premier refutes this, emphasising the importance of long-term port infrastructure planning for WA's trade future.

AnsweredQoN 472Legislative Assembly
Asked
24 June 2020
Portfolio
Premier

QuestionView source ↗

WESTPORT TASKFORCE —
FINAL REPORT
472. Mrs L.M. HARVEY to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. Now
that the government has the final report, is it now clear that the outer
harbour is an unnecessary duplication of resources at this time that will
destroy thousands of jobs at Fremantle port?

AnswerView source ↗

No, that is not the case. As I said,
it has been government policy for 20 years to progress long-term planning for
freight and trade for this state. Fremantle port was built 120 years ago.
Making sure that we have a long-term solution to Western Australia's
freight and trade issues is important. We are a trading state. We are the
trading state of the nation and one of the great trading states of the world. A
large part of our state and national income comes from our international
trading relationships. Having a long-term large port infrastructure that will
meet the needs of container traffic in particular, but other forms of traffic
as well, is very important for the future of the state. Glib lines and very
poor policy understanding are no substitutes for good long-term planning.

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