❓ Ms Mettam questions the Premier about the extent of habitat clearing for the Thornlie-Cockburn rail line, as outlined in the EPA report. The Premier deflects, highlighting the project's bipartisan history and offset measures.
AnsweredQoN 630Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AUTHORITY REPORT —THORNLIE–COCKBURN LINK — LAND
CLEARING
630. Ms
L. METTAM to the Premier:
Can the Premier confirm that the
recently released report by the Environmental Protection Authority for the
Thornlie–Cockburn line will result in the clearing of 23 hectares of
Carnaby's black cockatoo habitat, 16.2 hectares of red-tailed and
Baudin's black cockatoo habitat and three hectares of Bush Forever
site?
AUTHORITY REPORT —THORNLIE–COCKBURN LINK — LAND
CLEARING
630. Ms
L. METTAM to the Premier:
Can the Premier confirm that the
recently released report by the Environmental Protection Authority for the
Thornlie–Cockburn line will result in the clearing of 23 hectares of
Carnaby's black cockatoo habitat, 16.2 hectares of red-tailed and
Baudin's black cockatoo habitat and three hectares of Bush Forever
site?
AnswerView source ↗
The Thornlie–Cockburn
railway line, the member might recall, was a bipartisan policy, and about two years
before the Liberal–National government lost the election, it announced
it as one of the programs that it was going to do. I remember that it was on
the front page of The West that the Liberal–National government
was going to do it. If it is a big thing that the member objects to, I do not
recall her objecting back then. Did she object back then? Maybe the member for
Vasse can go and join the rally tomorrow morning outside Parliament. Maybe she
can go out there and superglue herself to the window!
Obviously, the Thornlie–Cockburn
railway follows an existing rail route. It puts in place for the first time a circle
line in Western Australia, which has been talked about for years. Some of the
infrastructure on Kwinana Freeway to allow it to happen was put in place by
Richard Court's government 25 years ago when the freeway was extended. It was a prescient move on the part of Richard
Court, who showed a bit of foresight. Naturally, when we do it, we have to put
in place stations. As part of our environmental approvals, all sorts of
initiatives are put in place that involve offsets and the like, which is
well understood as a way of managing those sorts of environmental issues. My
understanding is that the offsets are often multiple in terms of the provision
of relevant forest and vegetation and the like compared with that that is being
cleared. If the member for Vasse does not support the Thornlie–Cockburn
railway line, maybe she should stand up and say so in her supplementary
question.
railway line, the member might recall, was a bipartisan policy, and about two years
before the Liberal–National government lost the election, it announced
it as one of the programs that it was going to do. I remember that it was on
the front page of The West that the Liberal–National government
was going to do it. If it is a big thing that the member objects to, I do not
recall her objecting back then. Did she object back then? Maybe the member for
Vasse can go and join the rally tomorrow morning outside Parliament. Maybe she
can go out there and superglue herself to the window!
Obviously, the Thornlie–Cockburn
railway follows an existing rail route. It puts in place for the first time a circle
line in Western Australia, which has been talked about for years. Some of the
infrastructure on Kwinana Freeway to allow it to happen was put in place by
Richard Court's government 25 years ago when the freeway was extended. It was a prescient move on the part of Richard
Court, who showed a bit of foresight. Naturally, when we do it, we have to put
in place stations. As part of our environmental approvals, all sorts of
initiatives are put in place that involve offsets and the like, which is
well understood as a way of managing those sorts of environmental issues. My
understanding is that the offsets are often multiple in terms of the provision
of relevant forest and vegetation and the like compared with that that is being
cleared. If the member for Vasse does not support the Thornlie–Cockburn
railway line, maybe she should stand up and say so in her supplementary
question.
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