Question regarding the progress and economic impact of the Mid West Aquaculture Development Zone (MWADZ), specifically concerning a finfish nursery and Huon Aquaculture's lease fees. The government decided not to proceed with the nursery due to industry uncertainty, reallocating the funds.

AnsweredQoN 106Legislative Assembly
Asked
30 April 2025
Portfolio
Fisheries

QuestionView source ↗

Mid West Aquaculture Development Zone
106. Hon Colin de Grussa to the Minister for Fisheries:
My question without
notice, of which some notice has been given, is to the relatively newly minted
Minister for Fisheries. I refer to the state government's commitment to build a
Geraldton-based finfish nursery to expedite investment in the Mid West Aquaculture
Development Zone (MWADZ).
(1) How many jobs have been created within the MWADZ
as a direct result of this initiative?
(2) What was the total expenditure by the state
government to develop the Geraldton-based finfish nursery?
(3) What is the total amount of lease fees paid by
Huon Aquaculture since 2018 for leases it holds associated with the MWADZ?
(4) Has a discount or waiver of lease fees been
provided to Huon Aquaculture for any leases it holds?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1)–(2) A decision was
made not to proceed with the development of the Geraldton aquaculture nursery
project due to uncertainty within the industry. Project funding in the order of
$6.5 million was reallocated to the implementation of the Aquaculture
Development Plan for Western Australia, which is supporting a number of other
aquaculture projects across Western Australia.
(3) It is $169,400.
(4) Lease fee waivers were applied in the initial
developing stages of the project. No waiver or discount is currently in place.

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