❓ Question addresses safety arrangements for students celebrating the end of school exams on Rottnest Island. Answer focuses on strict enforcement of accommodation rules and environmental protection.
AnsweredQoN 567Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ROTTNEST ISLAND, STUDENT INFLUX
I understand that Rottnest Island is preparing for an influx of students celebrating the end of school exams. Will the minister tell the House whether any special arrangements are being made to ensure the safety of students? Mr BROWN
I understand that Rottnest Island is preparing for an influx of students celebrating the end of school exams. Will the minister tell the House whether any special arrangements are being made to ensure the safety of students? Mr BROWN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of this question. Rottnest Island is gearing up for one of the busiest and most interesting times of the year - that of “schoolies week”. The Rottnest Island Authority welcomes graduating students to the island. The authority has a number of local rules. One rule that will be strictly enforced by the authority this year relates to the provision of overnight stays. The rule is very clear: no person, whether an adult or not, is entitled to stay overnight on the island without having booked accommodation. People cannot camp illegally, sleep on the beach or sleep where ever they take a swag and drop it. People must have booked accommodation. If not, they are not permitted to stay. All accommodation on the island is booked. If graduating students are thinking about visiting Rottnest Island and they do not have bookings for accommodation, they will not be permitted to stay overnight. Any attempt to stay overnight will result in their removal. The Government makes no apology for that because it is important that students and their families who have made appropriate arrangements to stay on the island are in a position to do so and have a good time. It is not appropriate for people who have not made suitable arrangements to stay and potentially jeopardise the wellbeing of others. People staying on boats will come under close scrutiny. That will continue in future years. The island’s environment must be preserved. The Rottnest Island Authority must address two constant challenges: welcoming visitors to the island, which is cared for by Western Australians, and preserving its island environment. The Government will do that unashamedly. People who think that they have a special permit to spoil the environment have no place on it. Such behaviour will not be tolerated. After this summer, very significant penalties will be imposed on anyone seeking to damage its environment in any way. The Government is serious about preserving the island for future generations and unashamedly takes that position. I ask parents of this year’s graduating students who intend to visit the island without booked accommodation to ensure that their children do not seek to stay overnight. In recent years, the island has been successful in ensuring that enough staff, police officers and rangers are on duty to cater for the influx of visitors and that graduating students are well looked after. That has involved a measure of luck in recent years. We can no longer leave these matters to chance. We are keen to ensure that students visiting the island have a great time and leave the island safely. The Government wants everyone who leaves the island to be in a better condition than when they arrived. The Government will ensure that the rules apply to everybody all the time - 365 days a year - whether people are young or adults. The rules will be strictly enforced at all times, especially during “schoolies week”.
Mr BROWN replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. Rottnest Island is gearing up for one of the busiest and most interesting times of the year - that of “schoolies week”. The Rottnest Island Authority welcomes graduating students to the island. The authority has a number of local rules. One rule that will be strictly enforced by the authority this year relates to the provision of overnight stays. The rule is very clear: no person, whether an adult or not, is entitled to stay overnight on the island without having booked accommodation. People cannot camp illegally, sleep on the beach or sleep where ever they take a swag and drop it. People must have booked accommodation. If not, they are not permitted to stay. All accommodation on the island is booked. If graduating students are thinking about visiting Rottnest Island and they do not have bookings for accommodation, they will not be permitted to stay overnight. Any attempt to stay overnight will result in their removal. The Government makes no apology for that because it is important that students and their families who have made appropriate arrangements to stay on the island are in a position to do so and have a good time. It is not appropriate for people who have not made suitable arrangements to stay and potentially jeopardise the wellbeing of others. People staying on boats will come under close scrutiny. That will continue in future years. The island’s environment must be preserved. The Rottnest Island Authority must address two constant challenges: welcoming visitors to the island, which is cared for by Western Australians, and preserving its island environment. The Government will do that unashamedly. People who think that they have a special permit to spoil the environment have no place on it. Such behaviour will not be tolerated. After this summer, very significant penalties will be imposed on anyone seeking to damage its environment in any way. The Government is serious about preserving the island for future generations and unashamedly takes that position. I ask parents of this year’s graduating students who intend to visit the island without booked accommodation to ensure that their children do not seek to stay overnight. In recent years, the island has been successful in ensuring that enough staff, police officers and rangers are on duty to cater for the influx of visitors and that graduating students are well looked after. That has involved a measure of luck in recent years. We can no longer leave these matters to chance. We are keen to ensure that students visiting the island have a great time and leave the island safely. The Government wants everyone who leaves the island to be in a better condition than when they arrived. The Government will ensure that the rules apply to everybody all the time - 365 days a year - whether people are young or adults. The rules will be strictly enforced at all times, especially during “schoolies week”.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. Rottnest Island is gearing up for one of the busiest and most interesting times of the year - that of “schoolies week”. The Rottnest Island Authority welcomes graduating students to the island. The authority has a number of local rules. One rule that will be strictly enforced by the authority this year relates to the provision of overnight stays. The rule is very clear: no person, whether an adult or not, is entitled to stay overnight on the island without having booked accommodation. People cannot camp illegally, sleep on the beach or sleep where ever they take a swag and drop it. People must have booked accommodation. If not, they are not permitted to stay. All accommodation on the island is booked. If graduating students are thinking about visiting Rottnest Island and they do not have bookings for accommodation, they will not be permitted to stay overnight. Any attempt to stay overnight will result in their removal. The Government makes no apology for that because it is important that students and their families who have made appropriate arrangements to stay on the island are in a position to do so and have a good time. It is not appropriate for people who have not made suitable arrangements to stay and potentially jeopardise the wellbeing of others. People staying on boats will come under close scrutiny. That will continue in future years. The island’s environment must be preserved. The Rottnest Island Authority must address two constant challenges: welcoming visitors to the island, which is cared for by Western Australians, and preserving its island environment. The Government will do that unashamedly. People who think that they have a special permit to spoil the environment have no place on it. Such behaviour will not be tolerated. After this summer, very significant penalties will be imposed on anyone seeking to damage its environment in any way. The Government is serious about preserving the island for future generations and unashamedly takes that position. I ask parents of this year’s graduating students who intend to visit the island without booked accommodation to ensure that their children do not seek to stay overnight. In recent years, the island has been successful in ensuring that enough staff, police officers and rangers are on duty to cater for the influx of visitors and that graduating students are well looked after. That has involved a measure of luck in recent years. We can no longer leave these matters to chance. We are keen to ensure that students visiting the island have a great time and leave the island safely. The Government wants everyone who leaves the island to be in a better condition than when they arrived. The Government will ensure that the rules apply to everybody all the time - 365 days a year - whether people are young or adults. The rules will be strictly enforced at all times, especially during “schoolies week”.
I ask parents of this year’s graduating students who intend to visit the island without booked accommodation to ensure that their children do not seek to stay overnight. In recent years, the island has been successful in ensuring that enough staff, police officers and rangers are on duty to cater for the influx of visitors and that graduating students are well looked after. That has involved a measure of luck in recent years. We can no longer leave these matters to chance. We are keen to ensure that students visiting the island have a great time and leave the island safely. The Government wants everyone who leaves the island to be in a better condition than when they arrived. The Government will ensure that the rules apply to everybody all the time - 365 days a year - whether people are young or adults. The rules will be strictly enforced at all times, especially during “schoolies week”.
Mr BROWN replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. Rottnest Island is gearing up for one of the busiest and most interesting times of the year - that of “schoolies week”. The Rottnest Island Authority welcomes graduating students to the island. The authority has a number of local rules. One rule that will be strictly enforced by the authority this year relates to the provision of overnight stays. The rule is very clear: no person, whether an adult or not, is entitled to stay overnight on the island without having booked accommodation. People cannot camp illegally, sleep on the beach or sleep where ever they take a swag and drop it. People must have booked accommodation. If not, they are not permitted to stay. All accommodation on the island is booked. If graduating students are thinking about visiting Rottnest Island and they do not have bookings for accommodation, they will not be permitted to stay overnight. Any attempt to stay overnight will result in their removal. The Government makes no apology for that because it is important that students and their families who have made appropriate arrangements to stay on the island are in a position to do so and have a good time. It is not appropriate for people who have not made suitable arrangements to stay and potentially jeopardise the wellbeing of others. People staying on boats will come under close scrutiny. That will continue in future years. The island’s environment must be preserved. The Rottnest Island Authority must address two constant challenges: welcoming visitors to the island, which is cared for by Western Australians, and preserving its island environment. The Government will do that unashamedly. People who think that they have a special permit to spoil the environment have no place on it. Such behaviour will not be tolerated. After this summer, very significant penalties will be imposed on anyone seeking to damage its environment in any way. The Government is serious about preserving the island for future generations and unashamedly takes that position. I ask parents of this year’s graduating students who intend to visit the island without booked accommodation to ensure that their children do not seek to stay overnight. In recent years, the island has been successful in ensuring that enough staff, police officers and rangers are on duty to cater for the influx of visitors and that graduating students are well looked after. That has involved a measure of luck in recent years. We can no longer leave these matters to chance. We are keen to ensure that students visiting the island have a great time and leave the island safely. The Government wants everyone who leaves the island to be in a better condition than when they arrived. The Government will ensure that the rules apply to everybody all the time - 365 days a year - whether people are young or adults. The rules will be strictly enforced at all times, especially during “schoolies week”.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. Rottnest Island is gearing up for one of the busiest and most interesting times of the year - that of “schoolies week”. The Rottnest Island Authority welcomes graduating students to the island. The authority has a number of local rules. One rule that will be strictly enforced by the authority this year relates to the provision of overnight stays. The rule is very clear: no person, whether an adult or not, is entitled to stay overnight on the island without having booked accommodation. People cannot camp illegally, sleep on the beach or sleep where ever they take a swag and drop it. People must have booked accommodation. If not, they are not permitted to stay. All accommodation on the island is booked. If graduating students are thinking about visiting Rottnest Island and they do not have bookings for accommodation, they will not be permitted to stay overnight. Any attempt to stay overnight will result in their removal. The Government makes no apology for that because it is important that students and their families who have made appropriate arrangements to stay on the island are in a position to do so and have a good time. It is not appropriate for people who have not made suitable arrangements to stay and potentially jeopardise the wellbeing of others. People staying on boats will come under close scrutiny. That will continue in future years. The island’s environment must be preserved. The Rottnest Island Authority must address two constant challenges: welcoming visitors to the island, which is cared for by Western Australians, and preserving its island environment. The Government will do that unashamedly. People who think that they have a special permit to spoil the environment have no place on it. Such behaviour will not be tolerated. After this summer, very significant penalties will be imposed on anyone seeking to damage its environment in any way. The Government is serious about preserving the island for future generations and unashamedly takes that position. I ask parents of this year’s graduating students who intend to visit the island without booked accommodation to ensure that their children do not seek to stay overnight. In recent years, the island has been successful in ensuring that enough staff, police officers and rangers are on duty to cater for the influx of visitors and that graduating students are well looked after. That has involved a measure of luck in recent years. We can no longer leave these matters to chance. We are keen to ensure that students visiting the island have a great time and leave the island safely. The Government wants everyone who leaves the island to be in a better condition than when they arrived. The Government will ensure that the rules apply to everybody all the time - 365 days a year - whether people are young or adults. The rules will be strictly enforced at all times, especially during “schoolies week”.
I ask parents of this year’s graduating students who intend to visit the island without booked accommodation to ensure that their children do not seek to stay overnight. In recent years, the island has been successful in ensuring that enough staff, police officers and rangers are on duty to cater for the influx of visitors and that graduating students are well looked after. That has involved a measure of luck in recent years. We can no longer leave these matters to chance. We are keen to ensure that students visiting the island have a great time and leave the island safely. The Government wants everyone who leaves the island to be in a better condition than when they arrived. The Government will ensure that the rules apply to everybody all the time - 365 days a year - whether people are young or adults. The rules will be strictly enforced at all times, especially during “schoolies week”.
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