❓ Ms. Beard questions the Minister for Environment about the Hamelin Pool stromatolites closure and its impact on tourism. The Minister responds by highlighting the government's environmental investments and commitment to protecting the site, citing cyclone damage and planned upgrades as reasons for the delay.
AnsweredQoN 591Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HAMELIN POOL
STROMATOLITES
591. Ms M. BEARD to the Minister for Environment:
I
refer to the ongoing closure of the world-famous Hamelin Pool stromatolites and
the associated impact on tourism.
(1) When will the
communities of the Gascoyne and visitors be provided with a definitive time
line of when this site will be reopened?
(2) Why has the minister not taken
action in two and half years?
(3) What advice
has the minister received about the ongoing impact of the closure on the site's
UNESCO World Heritage status?
STROMATOLITES
591. Ms M. BEARD to the Minister for Environment:
I
refer to the ongoing closure of the world-famous Hamelin Pool stromatolites and
the associated impact on tourism.
(1) When will the
communities of the Gascoyne and visitors be provided with a definitive time
line of when this site will be reopened?
(2) Why has the minister not taken
action in two and half years?
(3) What advice
has the minister received about the ongoing impact of the closure on the site's
UNESCO World Heritage status?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
(1)–(3) I
will begin by making the comment that the Labor Party understands the natural
value of this area. The Hawke Labor government, in partnership with the
Lawrence Labor government, in 1991 successfully inscribed Shark Bay on the
World Heritage List, so I will just start with that fact.
Several members
interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Order, please!
Mr R.R. WHITBY : We recognise,
and have been instrumental in protecting, the value of the stromatolites at Hamelin
Pool. It is true that a cyclone hit the area in April 2021 and, as a result of
that cyclone, significant damage was done to the boardwalk. We responded appropriately
and had engineers investigate to look at what work needed to be done. We were
not going to rush it; we were going to take our time and do it properly. The
investigation found that, given the whole structure was approaching end of life
in the next 10-or-so years, it made absolute sense to look at a total
replacement rather than a piecemeal approach of fixing the damaged section and
then coming back in a few years'
time to start planning for a replacement. The repair approach would have led to
more disruption at the site, longer closures and more threats to the
stromatolites because of the increased activity of building twice rather than
once. We are now conducting a thorough investigation into the entire rebuild,
and we will continue to protect those natural assets in their environment. I
make the point that our government is very keen to protect this part of the world and very keen to make very large
investments in the natural environment in the member's electorate .
We have spent more than $12 million to protect the region's natural
environment through the WA Recovery Plan, Plan for Our Parks and national
heritage grant initiatives. We have projects and upgrades for Monkey Mia; walk trails; interpretive landscaping; park
infrastructure; and Kennedy Range National Park and Pimbee National Park, which
I have just mentioned. Of course, in 2020, the McGowan government delivered the
$24 million Kalbarri Skywalk, in the heart of the member's electorate,
which was a major project. Seriously, what more can we do? This is one of the
major attractions of any national park, and we have invested heavily and
delivered that project in the member's electorate.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
members!
Mr R.R. WHITBY : We will
continue to work and deliver for the environment in the member's
electorate, and we will continue to protect the stromatolites.
(1)–(3) I
will begin by making the comment that the Labor Party understands the natural
value of this area. The Hawke Labor government, in partnership with the
Lawrence Labor government, in 1991 successfully inscribed Shark Bay on the
World Heritage List, so I will just start with that fact.
Several members
interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Order, please!
Mr R.R. WHITBY : We recognise,
and have been instrumental in protecting, the value of the stromatolites at Hamelin
Pool. It is true that a cyclone hit the area in April 2021 and, as a result of
that cyclone, significant damage was done to the boardwalk. We responded appropriately
and had engineers investigate to look at what work needed to be done. We were
not going to rush it; we were going to take our time and do it properly. The
investigation found that, given the whole structure was approaching end of life
in the next 10-or-so years, it made absolute sense to look at a total
replacement rather than a piecemeal approach of fixing the damaged section and
then coming back in a few years'
time to start planning for a replacement. The repair approach would have led to
more disruption at the site, longer closures and more threats to the
stromatolites because of the increased activity of building twice rather than
once. We are now conducting a thorough investigation into the entire rebuild,
and we will continue to protect those natural assets in their environment. I
make the point that our government is very keen to protect this part of the world and very keen to make very large
investments in the natural environment in the member's electorate .
We have spent more than $12 million to protect the region's natural
environment through the WA Recovery Plan, Plan for Our Parks and national
heritage grant initiatives. We have projects and upgrades for Monkey Mia; walk trails; interpretive landscaping; park
infrastructure; and Kennedy Range National Park and Pimbee National Park, which
I have just mentioned. Of course, in 2020, the McGowan government delivered the
$24 million Kalbarri Skywalk, in the heart of the member's electorate,
which was a major project. Seriously, what more can we do? This is one of the
major attractions of any national park, and we have invested heavily and
delivered that project in the member's electorate.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
members!
Mr R.R. WHITBY : We will
continue to work and deliver for the environment in the member's
electorate, and we will continue to protect the stromatolites.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.