❓ The Minister for Fisheries updates the house on shark mitigation strategies, including the Sea Sense campaign, partnership with Surfing WA, an independent scientific panel, a new app, updated SharkSmart website, and updated whale carcass protocols.
AnsweredQoN 994Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SHARKS — HAZARD
MITIGATION
994. Mr D.T. PUNCH to the Minister for Fisheries:
Can
the minister update the house on the unprecedented measures that the McGowan
Labor government is taking to protect Western Australians at the beach this
summer through its comprehensive shark mitigation strategy?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! Member
for Dawesville, I call you to order for the first time. I am very interested,
because we have sharks in our pool down there.
MITIGATION
994. Mr D.T. PUNCH to the Minister for Fisheries:
Can
the minister update the house on the unprecedented measures that the McGowan
Labor government is taking to protect Western Australians at the beach this
summer through its comprehensive shark mitigation strategy?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! Member
for Dawesville, I call you to order for the first time. I am very interested,
because we have sharks in our pool down there.
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Bunbury for
his question. With summer only a few days away, I thought it timely to update
the house on our most recent initiatives in this area. We recently announced
the Sea Sense campaign, which has two objectives: firstly, to ensure that Western
Australians are aware of the recent initiative that we have put in place for
this summer, and, secondly, to encourage everyone who goes into the water over
summer to make good decisions to ensure their safety. The Sea Sense campaign
encompasses a few new initiatives.
Mr J.E. McGrath interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for South
Perth—little chatterbox.
Mr D.J. KELLY : I am very
pleased to say that we now have an agreement with Surfing WA, the peak surfing
body of Western Australia. It has come on board to work with the government on
this issue. As part of that agreement we are funding Surfing WA with $120 000
over three years. That will provide it with a new surf ski and some drones to
enable it to provide additional surveillance at some of its events. It will
also fund the Surfers Rescue 365 program, which is a first-aid program that it
wants to roll out for surfers in WA. We are very pleased that Surfing WA is now
on board with what we are doing.
The second announcement we made is
that we have established an independent scientific panel to look at new or
possible initiatives. As members would be aware, a lot of ideas come to
government about what we should be doing in this space. For the first time we
will have the Chief Scientist along with three other local and interstate eminent
scientists who have made themselves available to consider new options that come
forward. Again, we are trying to get less opinion and more science into what
works in this area. We have committed to developing an app by the first half of
next year to enable people to get real-time notification of conditions at their
local beach when they want to go for a swim. There also has been an update of
the SharkSmart website, which, for the first time, will provide much more
information around such things as the location of beach enclosures, for
example. But there is a lot more user-friendly information on the SharkSmart
website.
Mrs L.M. Harvey : Did you buy
them a surf ski or a jet ski?
The SPEAKER : Member for
Scarborough, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr D.J. KELLY : That was about
two minutes ago. Just for the member for Scarborough's benefit, we are
providing money for a jet ski.
Mrs L.M. Harvey : You said a surf
ski, which is a totally different thing.
Mr D.J. KELLY : Sorry. I take
it back. It will provide a jet ski and some drones. Get them a surf ski as
well! If the member for Scarborough would like to get a full briefing on the
program, I am happy to do that.
Finally, the fifth thing that we
announced was an update of the whale carcass protocols. For the first time, the
whale carcass protocol will apply statewide. Believe it or not, under the
previous government different whale carcass protocols applied in different
locations in Western Australia. It is one of the reasons for the confusion that
existed under the previous government about how to manage this issue.
We are very pleased—especially
with the partnership that we have developed with Surfing WA—that we are
working cooperatively with the surfing community. It complements the things
that we already have in place. As I indicated earlier during question time,
nearly 2 500 Western Australians have taken up our offer of a subsidised
personal shark deterrent. They are backed by science and, as much as members
opposite want to make a joke of these things, they save lives.
Beach emergency number signs are now
being rolled out at beaches across Western Australia. If we ask the first
responders, they say that they will save lives. Whether it be because of a heart
attack or a shark attack, those BEN signs will save lives. Members opposite see
this as an opportunity to score points. We want to make our beaches as safe as
possible. We want to do what the science tells us. If we do that, we can
improve safety in Western Australia.
his question. With summer only a few days away, I thought it timely to update
the house on our most recent initiatives in this area. We recently announced
the Sea Sense campaign, which has two objectives: firstly, to ensure that Western
Australians are aware of the recent initiative that we have put in place for
this summer, and, secondly, to encourage everyone who goes into the water over
summer to make good decisions to ensure their safety. The Sea Sense campaign
encompasses a few new initiatives.
Mr J.E. McGrath interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for South
Perth—little chatterbox.
Mr D.J. KELLY : I am very
pleased to say that we now have an agreement with Surfing WA, the peak surfing
body of Western Australia. It has come on board to work with the government on
this issue. As part of that agreement we are funding Surfing WA with $120 000
over three years. That will provide it with a new surf ski and some drones to
enable it to provide additional surveillance at some of its events. It will
also fund the Surfers Rescue 365 program, which is a first-aid program that it
wants to roll out for surfers in WA. We are very pleased that Surfing WA is now
on board with what we are doing.
The second announcement we made is
that we have established an independent scientific panel to look at new or
possible initiatives. As members would be aware, a lot of ideas come to
government about what we should be doing in this space. For the first time we
will have the Chief Scientist along with three other local and interstate eminent
scientists who have made themselves available to consider new options that come
forward. Again, we are trying to get less opinion and more science into what
works in this area. We have committed to developing an app by the first half of
next year to enable people to get real-time notification of conditions at their
local beach when they want to go for a swim. There also has been an update of
the SharkSmart website, which, for the first time, will provide much more
information around such things as the location of beach enclosures, for
example. But there is a lot more user-friendly information on the SharkSmart
website.
Mrs L.M. Harvey : Did you buy
them a surf ski or a jet ski?
The SPEAKER : Member for
Scarborough, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr D.J. KELLY : That was about
two minutes ago. Just for the member for Scarborough's benefit, we are
providing money for a jet ski.
Mrs L.M. Harvey : You said a surf
ski, which is a totally different thing.
Mr D.J. KELLY : Sorry. I take
it back. It will provide a jet ski and some drones. Get them a surf ski as
well! If the member for Scarborough would like to get a full briefing on the
program, I am happy to do that.
Finally, the fifth thing that we
announced was an update of the whale carcass protocols. For the first time, the
whale carcass protocol will apply statewide. Believe it or not, under the
previous government different whale carcass protocols applied in different
locations in Western Australia. It is one of the reasons for the confusion that
existed under the previous government about how to manage this issue.
We are very pleased—especially
with the partnership that we have developed with Surfing WA—that we are
working cooperatively with the surfing community. It complements the things
that we already have in place. As I indicated earlier during question time,
nearly 2 500 Western Australians have taken up our offer of a subsidised
personal shark deterrent. They are backed by science and, as much as members
opposite want to make a joke of these things, they save lives.
Beach emergency number signs are now
being rolled out at beaches across Western Australia. If we ask the first
responders, they say that they will save lives. Whether it be because of a heart
attack or a shark attack, those BEN signs will save lives. Members opposite see
this as an opportunity to score points. We want to make our beaches as safe as
possible. We want to do what the science tells us. If we do that, we can
improve safety in Western Australia.
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