❓ Mr. Rundle questions the Minister for Fisheries regarding the non-operational shark warning towers in Esperance and the perceived shifting of responsibility to the Shire. The Minister clarifies the maintenance agreement and ongoing efforts for replacement.
AnsweredQoN 744Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SHARKS — HAZARD MITIGATION — ESPERANCE
744. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to the shark warning towers
in Esperance. The Twilight Beach tower has not been in operation since June and
I understand that the Kelp Beds and West Beach towers have issues as well.
(1) Why is the
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and Fisheries putting
the safety of Esperance people and tourists at risk by not maintaining this
government's infrastructure?
(2) Similar to
the whale carcass issue a couple of weeks ago, why is the government and the
minister's department ignoring their responsibilities and trying to
offload marine issues onto the Shire of Esperance?
744. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to the shark warning towers
in Esperance. The Twilight Beach tower has not been in operation since June and
I understand that the Kelp Beds and West Beach towers have issues as well.
(1) Why is the
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and Fisheries putting
the safety of Esperance people and tourists at risk by not maintaining this
government's infrastructure?
(2) Similar to
the whale carcass issue a couple of weeks ago, why is the government and the
minister's department ignoring their responsibilities and trying to
offload marine issues onto the Shire of Esperance?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
always take these great opportunities to remind the house of the world-beating
response that we have to making sure that we reduce the risk of shark attacks
in Western Australia. The beach tower network and the shark-tagging program are a partnership with local governments.
Certainly, they are part of a partnership with the Esperance shire
council, as they are with local governments around the state. The agreement
with the Shire of Esperance is that the shire looks after the towers, as local
governments do, and the state installs them.
Mr P.J. Rundle : They can't
find any agreement.
Mr D.T. PUNCH : The shires
look after them and the state installs them. That was the agreement. That is
the understanding. The department goes out of its way to work closely with
local governments to make sure that the infrastructure is fit for purpose. The
technicians from DPIRD have been working on those towers. We know that they are
old. They have been working on the best strategy for replacement and working
with the Shire of Esperance and Surf Life Saving WA. I expect that those towers
will be replaced in the near future, but the agreement has always been that the
local government maintains them.
I have not received any
correspondence, that I am aware of, from the Shire of Esperance. I have not had
a phone call about these matters from the Shire of Esperance. I certainly
encourage the shire, if it has a concern about these matters, to get in touch
with me. The policy around those towers, as I understand it, was actually
introduced by the Barnett government. Those
agreements around the maintenance of those towers are a longstanding
arrangement that was established under the Barnett Liberal–National
government.
always take these great opportunities to remind the house of the world-beating
response that we have to making sure that we reduce the risk of shark attacks
in Western Australia. The beach tower network and the shark-tagging program are a partnership with local governments.
Certainly, they are part of a partnership with the Esperance shire
council, as they are with local governments around the state. The agreement
with the Shire of Esperance is that the shire looks after the towers, as local
governments do, and the state installs them.
Mr P.J. Rundle : They can't
find any agreement.
Mr D.T. PUNCH : The shires
look after them and the state installs them. That was the agreement. That is
the understanding. The department goes out of its way to work closely with
local governments to make sure that the infrastructure is fit for purpose. The
technicians from DPIRD have been working on those towers. We know that they are
old. They have been working on the best strategy for replacement and working
with the Shire of Esperance and Surf Life Saving WA. I expect that those towers
will be replaced in the near future, but the agreement has always been that the
local government maintains them.
I have not received any
correspondence, that I am aware of, from the Shire of Esperance. I have not had
a phone call about these matters from the Shire of Esperance. I certainly
encourage the shire, if it has a concern about these matters, to get in touch
with me. The policy around those towers, as I understand it, was actually
introduced by the Barnett government. Those
agreements around the maintenance of those towers are a longstanding
arrangement that was established under the Barnett Liberal–National
government.
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