❓ Ms Mettam accuses the Premier of secretly planning high-density development in Whiteman Park. The Premier deflects by highlighting the previous government's failed cemetery plan and construction of a highway through the park.
AnsweredQoN 794Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ELLENBROOK RAIL LINE —
WHITEMAN PARK
794. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question.
Why is the Premier hiding from the people of Western Australia his secret plan
for high-density urban development in Whiteman Park, which includes the
Marshall Road lands?
WHITEMAN PARK
794. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question.
Why is the Premier hiding from the people of Western Australia his secret plan
for high-density urban development in Whiteman Park, which includes the
Marshall Road lands?
AnswerView source ↗
There was some accommodation
planned for that area—it was called a cemetery, under the previous
government! It proposed to put a cemetery there. That was going to be high
density.
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : There was
going to be a lot of people in close proximity, and they were going to be there
for a long time!
Mr D.C. Nalder : That's
low density.
Mr M. McGOWAN : No; it is
actually quite high. A cemetery is about as high-density occupation—I
will not call it living—as you can get. The problem with the former
government's cemetery plan on this land, as I have said before, was
that the watertable is so high that the coffins would have had to be weighed
down to keep them in the ground. Unfortunately, the cemetery plan did not come
to fruition for the previous government, but what did come to fruition was a multi-lane
highway through the middle of Whiteman Park, and without parliamentary
approval. That is what the former government did. When members come in here and
attack us for wanting to build a rail line near the park, maybe they should
have a look at what they did when they cut the park in half with a wide highway
through the middle of it!
planned for that area—it was called a cemetery, under the previous
government! It proposed to put a cemetery there. That was going to be high
density.
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : There was
going to be a lot of people in close proximity, and they were going to be there
for a long time!
Mr D.C. Nalder : That's
low density.
Mr M. McGOWAN : No; it is
actually quite high. A cemetery is about as high-density occupation—I
will not call it living—as you can get. The problem with the former
government's cemetery plan on this land, as I have said before, was
that the watertable is so high that the coffins would have had to be weighed
down to keep them in the ground. Unfortunately, the cemetery plan did not come
to fruition for the previous government, but what did come to fruition was a multi-lane
highway through the middle of Whiteman Park, and without parliamentary
approval. That is what the former government did. When members come in here and
attack us for wanting to build a rail line near the park, maybe they should
have a look at what they did when they cut the park in half with a wide highway
through the middle of it!
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