❓ Mr Rundle questions the Minister for Lands regarding the Mira Mar landslide and the government's acquisition process of affected properties. The Minister outlines the government's support, valuation process, and remediation plans, emphasizing transparency and fairness.
AnsweredQoN 890Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOUSING — LANDSLIDE RISK — MIRA MAR
890. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Lands:
My question of which some notice has
been given is to the Minister for Lands. I refer to the Mira Mar landslide in
Albany and the torturous journey those householders have been on.
(1) How is the government
determining which houses it wants to voluntarily acquire?
(2) Where is the
government up to in the potential acquisition process, and are the offers being
made at a realistic market and replacement value?
(3) What criteria
is being used for demolition and therefore determination of which houses to
acquire?
(4) Can the
minister outline the time line and process for road and site remediation?
890. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Lands:
My question of which some notice has
been given is to the Minister for Lands. I refer to the Mira Mar landslide in
Albany and the torturous journey those householders have been on.
(1) How is the government
determining which houses it wants to voluntarily acquire?
(2) Where is the
government up to in the potential acquisition process, and are the offers being
made at a realistic market and replacement value?
(3) What criteria
is being used for demolition and therefore determination of which houses to
acquire?
(4) Can the
minister outline the time line and process for road and site remediation?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(4) I
thank the member for his question.
Mr W.J. Johnston : He has
acknowledged this government has no liability.
Mr J.N. CAREY : Yes. I have to
say that the member for Roe just flagged I was getting a question on Mira Mar
but did not provide the actual detail of the question.
We take this issue very seriously. I
acknowledge the work of the Great Southern Development Commission; the local
member, Rebecca Stephens; and my own agency, the Department of Planning, Lands
and Heritage. First of all—I think the member behind me noted this—the
state does not have an obligation to purchase these homes but it has stepped in
to provide support to the impacted landowners and to find a pathway forward in
this situation that, I think it is fair to
say, had reached an impasse. The state government, via the Department of
Planning, Lands and Heritage, is assisting landowners by negotiating the
purchase of certain properties affected by the landslip. The agency has been
working very hard, and it is important to put this on the public record. The
department is liaising closely and is in regular contact with those impacted
landowners. Representatives from the department have travelled to Albany and
made themselves available to meet those impacted landowners. For landowners
unable to meet, later meetings were offered.
To progress the purchase negotiations, the department—rightly
so—sought valuations on each of the properties from the Valuer-General. Those valuations were calculated on the basis
that the landslide had not occurred and did not impact the property values, and were provided as a range. After
that, the department made offers to purchase the impacted properties at
the highest end of the valuation range. It did the right thing, went to the
Valuer-General, got the valuations and
offered prices at the highest end of the range. In an effort to keep the
negotiations open and transparent, the department provided copies of
those valuation reports to the landowners. As a result, a number of properties
are now being purchased, so the landowners have agreed and the department is
working through the paperwork for those offers.
Ownership of these properties by the
state is necessary if we are to proceed, as we are, given the quantum and the
scale of remediation works in the area, because the most current advice is—we
take this seriously—that the slip continues to move forward. This is
the other point to make: the department has offered landowners who do not agree
with the valuation of the Valuer-General the option to commission their own
private valuation from a licensed valuer to
support a counter offer, and the department has offered to reimburse those
landowners for the cost of obtaining that private valuation report.
There is no cost to the landowners to obtain that private valuation. That is
transparent, that is open and that goes well beyond any expectation to assist
those landowners in these negotiations. Any fair-minded person would agree.
The
purchase of these properties is just the first step. The department will
continue to work with the City of Albany on the long-term solution.
Concurrently with these negotiations, the department is progressing the current
geotechnical report from a concept design to a detailed design specification
and implementation strategy. In the event that the remaining voluntary purchase
negotiations are not successful, the state government will need to consider
what the next steps will be, given the potential risk to public safety.
thank the member for his question.
Mr W.J. Johnston : He has
acknowledged this government has no liability.
Mr J.N. CAREY : Yes. I have to
say that the member for Roe just flagged I was getting a question on Mira Mar
but did not provide the actual detail of the question.
We take this issue very seriously. I
acknowledge the work of the Great Southern Development Commission; the local
member, Rebecca Stephens; and my own agency, the Department of Planning, Lands
and Heritage. First of all—I think the member behind me noted this—the
state does not have an obligation to purchase these homes but it has stepped in
to provide support to the impacted landowners and to find a pathway forward in
this situation that, I think it is fair to
say, had reached an impasse. The state government, via the Department of
Planning, Lands and Heritage, is assisting landowners by negotiating the
purchase of certain properties affected by the landslip. The agency has been
working very hard, and it is important to put this on the public record. The
department is liaising closely and is in regular contact with those impacted
landowners. Representatives from the department have travelled to Albany and
made themselves available to meet those impacted landowners. For landowners
unable to meet, later meetings were offered.
To progress the purchase negotiations, the department—rightly
so—sought valuations on each of the properties from the Valuer-General. Those valuations were calculated on the basis
that the landslide had not occurred and did not impact the property values, and were provided as a range. After
that, the department made offers to purchase the impacted properties at
the highest end of the valuation range. It did the right thing, went to the
Valuer-General, got the valuations and
offered prices at the highest end of the range. In an effort to keep the
negotiations open and transparent, the department provided copies of
those valuation reports to the landowners. As a result, a number of properties
are now being purchased, so the landowners have agreed and the department is
working through the paperwork for those offers.
Ownership of these properties by the
state is necessary if we are to proceed, as we are, given the quantum and the
scale of remediation works in the area, because the most current advice is—we
take this seriously—that the slip continues to move forward. This is
the other point to make: the department has offered landowners who do not agree
with the valuation of the Valuer-General the option to commission their own
private valuation from a licensed valuer to
support a counter offer, and the department has offered to reimburse those
landowners for the cost of obtaining that private valuation report.
There is no cost to the landowners to obtain that private valuation. That is
transparent, that is open and that goes well beyond any expectation to assist
those landowners in these negotiations. Any fair-minded person would agree.
The
purchase of these properties is just the first step. The department will
continue to work with the City of Albany on the long-term solution.
Concurrently with these negotiations, the department is progressing the current
geotechnical report from a concept design to a detailed design specification
and implementation strategy. In the event that the remaining voluntary purchase
negotiations are not successful, the state government will need to consider
what the next steps will be, given the potential risk to public safety.
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