❓ In 1992 the Commonwealth commissioned two independent expert studies which assessed the natural and cultural heritage values of the Nullarbor Plain, and these studies identified the Nullarbor as meeti
AnsweredQoN 1412Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
In 1992 the Commonwealth commissioned two independent
expert studies which assessed the natural and cultural heritage values of the
Nullarbor Plain, and these studies identified the Nullarbor as meeting all
four of UNESCO’s criteria of Outstanding Universal Value for natural heritage,
principally on account of its extraordinary caves and karst landforms,
subterranean fauna and fossils and as a cultural landscape of World Heritage
significance. In 2022, the South Australian Government communicated to the Commonwealth Government its support for the World Heritage listing for the Great Australian Bight. Regarding the proposed Western Green Energy Hub on the
Nullarbor Plain, covering 2.2 million hectares of pastoral leases and crown
land, I ask: (a) what
assessment will the WA government make of the World Heritage values - both natural
and cultural values - of this area; (b) when
will the assessment be completed; and (c) what
communication, if any, has the Minister for Environment had with the Commonwealth on the proposed energy
hub and its potential impact on World Heritage values?
expert studies which assessed the natural and cultural heritage values of the
Nullarbor Plain, and these studies identified the Nullarbor as meeting all
four of UNESCO’s criteria of Outstanding Universal Value for natural heritage,
principally on account of its extraordinary caves and karst landforms,
subterranean fauna and fossils and as a cultural landscape of World Heritage
significance. In 2022, the South Australian Government communicated to the Commonwealth Government its support for the World Heritage listing for the Great Australian Bight. Regarding the proposed Western Green Energy Hub on the
Nullarbor Plain, covering 2.2 million hectares of pastoral leases and crown
land, I ask: (a) what
assessment will the WA government make of the World Heritage values - both natural
and cultural values - of this area; (b) when
will the assessment be completed; and (c) what
communication, if any, has the Minister for Environment had with the Commonwealth on the proposed energy
hub and its potential impact on World Heritage values?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
5 May 2026
Responded by
Minister for the Environment
Response time
1 days
(a) - (b) The WA Government will assess World Heritage values once a site has been inscribed on the National Heritage list and a nomination is referred by the National Heritage Council.
(c) There has been no formal communication from the Commonwealth to the WA Minister for the Environment on this matter.
(c) There has been no formal communication from the Commonwealth to the WA Minister for the Environment on this matter.
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