Home›Questions on Notice›QoN 2187

❓ A WA parliamentary question probes the Premier regarding a proposal by the Shire of Esperance to clear 500,000 hectares of public land for agriculture, particularly within the Great Western Woodlands, and seeks details on inter-portfolio support, environmental assessments, and cost-benefit analyses.

AnsweredQoN 2187Legislative Council

Asked

18 November 2014

Member

Hon Robin Chapple

Portfolio

Premier

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to a proposal by the Shire of Esperance to clear land for agriculture north of the town, and I ask: (a) is the Premier aware of a proposal from the Shire of Esperance for the allocation and clearing of public land for agricultural land releases north of Esperance; (b) is the Premier aware of a map provided to the Government by the Shire showing five separate locations for new agricultural land releases totalling 500,000 hectares; (c) can the Premier confirm that most, if not all the land identified by the Shire, is within the Great Western Woodlands as defined in the Government’s Biodiversity and Cultural Conservation Strategy Great Western Woodlands ; (d) has the Premier written to some of the advocates of this proposal, setting out the means by which the proposed large scale clearing of native vegetation could be progressed through inter-portfolio support including the Agriculture and Food, Environment, Aboriginal Affairs, Native Title, Lands and Mines and Petroleum; (e) has the inter-portfolio support commenced and if so, what form has it taken and what is the outcome to date; (f) have the agencies, separately or together, produced any document, correspondence or report examining the proposal and providing advice, either to Government or the proponent, on the proposal: (i) if yes to (f), what does the advice say and will it be made public; and (ii) if it will not be made public, why not; (g) given the massive clearing of native vegetation that has already occurred across the south west of Western Australia and the many long term environmental and sustainability problems this has caused, what is the Government’s policy on new agricultural land releases involving clearing of large areas of native vegetation in southern Western Australia, including areas that are recognised internationally as part of a "Global Biodiversity Hotspot" and come under the Government’s Biodiversity and Cultural Conservation Strategy Great Western Woodlands ; (h) has the proposal for new large scale land clearing for agriculture as presented to the Government by the Shire of Esperance been referred to the Environmental Protection Authority and the Department of Parks and Wildlife for advice: (i) if no to (h), when will it be referred; and (i) will the Government be subjecting the proposal to an open, independent and expert cost-benefit study addressing the full range of economic, social and environmental factors prior to any Government endorsement of the proposal: (i) if no to (i), why not?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered

18 February 2015

Responded by

Leader of the House representing the Premier

Response time

92 days

(a)-(c) Please refer to Legislative Council question on notice 2185.
(d) The Premier wrote to the Shire of Esperance to thank them for hosting a Regional Cabinet and encouraged the Shire to progress this matter in the first instance with the Minister for Agriculture.
(e)-(i) Please refer to Legislative Council question on notice 2185.

View on Parliament of WA