❓ Dr. Hames questions the Minister for Water on how a $20 million investment in regional estuaries will improve their health. The Minister details the allocation of funds to specific estuaries and the intended outcomes, including environmental and economic benefits.
AnsweredQoN 197Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WATERWAYS — REGIONAL ESTUARY INVESTMENT
197. Dr K.D. HAMES to the Minister for
Water:
Yesterday the state government
announced a $20 million investment in regional estuaries, including the Peel–Harvey
estuary. Can the minister please inform the house how this funding will help
improve the health of regional estuaries?
197. Dr K.D. HAMES to the Minister for
Water:
Yesterday the state government
announced a $20 million investment in regional estuaries, including the Peel–Harvey
estuary. Can the minister please inform the house how this funding will help
improve the health of regional estuaries?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
It was a fantastic day yesterday in the Peel with my cabinet colleagues and
local members.
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Are you finished, member for Girrawheen? I call you to order for
the first time.
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
The
SPEAKER : That is fine. If you want me to call you for the second time, keep
it up.
Ms
M.J. DAVIES : Members might be interested to know that about 80 per cent of Western
Australia's population lives around or near our Western Australian
estuaries and currently six are classified as being at the highest risk.
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the second time.
Ms
M.J. DAVIES : It is the member's time she is wasting. I am happy to
stand up all day and talk about this.
The
SPEAKER : Through the Chair!
Ms
M.J. DAVIES : There will be a focus on six estuaries in the south west that
are most at risk, and that is a result of pressures of urbanisation, intensive
agriculture, increased historical land use over a long period and, of course,
our drying climate, which has an impact on the waterways. The six that we will
focus on are the Peel–Harvey estuary, with $6 million; Leschenault
Estuary around Bunbury and the catchment, with $7.5 million; Hardy Inlet around
Augusta, with $2 million; Wilson Inlet, with $2 million; Oyster Harbour around
Albany, with $2 million; and the Vasse and Wonnerup estuaries. This is in
addition to the $15 million that we have already invested in the Vasse–Wonnerup
system. When these systems start to fail, we start to see very poor outcomes
for plant life and we start to see major fish kills, which is one of the
reasons that the strategy was put in place for the Vasse–Wonnerup. We
now have all the stakeholders down there sitting around the table and working
together to deliver a better outcome for that community.
The City of Mandurah told me that it
estimates that around $1 billion of economic development is associated with the
estuary in and around the Peel–Harvey. Aside from the environmental
benefits, the economic benefits are vital to the regions and to the state. For
this reason, the program will work collaboratively. We have done a lot of work
already in this space. The Peel–Harvey Catchment Council, the other
catchment councils and the natural resource management groups right across the
region will work in partnership with landholders, farmers and other industry
groups to leverage this $20 million to deliver a better outcome. We will see an
increase in regional capacity through our on-ground management. There will be
some sustainable agriculture outcomes. We will be doing some soil testing and
best practice dairy effluent management with our farmers. There will be
improvements in the drainage systems that work through those catchment areas
and we will look at innovative remediation projects. We are looking at new
technologies to treat and reduce the nutrients and improve the soils in those
regions. For the long term, we will also have additional modelling and science
so that we can look at the —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Wind
it up, please.
Ms M.J. DAVIES :
Sorry, Mr Speaker, but there is a lot of interjection from over there and this
is an important issue.
The SPEAKER : I want
you to wind it up now, please.
Ms M.J. DAVIES :
There are excellent partnerships. It was well received on the ground yesterday
by everyone in the local community. It was really disappointing that there was
opposition from those on that side of the house.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the third time.
Ms M.J. DAVIES : It
was very disappointing to see that the spokespeople for water and conservation
were critical of this program. I can tell members that it was very well
received on the ground and they are looking forward to getting on with
business.
It was a fantastic day yesterday in the Peel with my cabinet colleagues and
local members.
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Are you finished, member for Girrawheen? I call you to order for
the first time.
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
The
SPEAKER : That is fine. If you want me to call you for the second time, keep
it up.
Ms
M.J. DAVIES : Members might be interested to know that about 80 per cent of Western
Australia's population lives around or near our Western Australian
estuaries and currently six are classified as being at the highest risk.
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the second time.
Ms
M.J. DAVIES : It is the member's time she is wasting. I am happy to
stand up all day and talk about this.
The
SPEAKER : Through the Chair!
Ms
M.J. DAVIES : There will be a focus on six estuaries in the south west that
are most at risk, and that is a result of pressures of urbanisation, intensive
agriculture, increased historical land use over a long period and, of course,
our drying climate, which has an impact on the waterways. The six that we will
focus on are the Peel–Harvey estuary, with $6 million; Leschenault
Estuary around Bunbury and the catchment, with $7.5 million; Hardy Inlet around
Augusta, with $2 million; Wilson Inlet, with $2 million; Oyster Harbour around
Albany, with $2 million; and the Vasse and Wonnerup estuaries. This is in
addition to the $15 million that we have already invested in the Vasse–Wonnerup
system. When these systems start to fail, we start to see very poor outcomes
for plant life and we start to see major fish kills, which is one of the
reasons that the strategy was put in place for the Vasse–Wonnerup. We
now have all the stakeholders down there sitting around the table and working
together to deliver a better outcome for that community.
The City of Mandurah told me that it
estimates that around $1 billion of economic development is associated with the
estuary in and around the Peel–Harvey. Aside from the environmental
benefits, the economic benefits are vital to the regions and to the state. For
this reason, the program will work collaboratively. We have done a lot of work
already in this space. The Peel–Harvey Catchment Council, the other
catchment councils and the natural resource management groups right across the
region will work in partnership with landholders, farmers and other industry
groups to leverage this $20 million to deliver a better outcome. We will see an
increase in regional capacity through our on-ground management. There will be
some sustainable agriculture outcomes. We will be doing some soil testing and
best practice dairy effluent management with our farmers. There will be
improvements in the drainage systems that work through those catchment areas
and we will look at innovative remediation projects. We are looking at new
technologies to treat and reduce the nutrients and improve the soils in those
regions. For the long term, we will also have additional modelling and science
so that we can look at the —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Wind
it up, please.
Ms M.J. DAVIES :
Sorry, Mr Speaker, but there is a lot of interjection from over there and this
is an important issue.
The SPEAKER : I want
you to wind it up now, please.
Ms M.J. DAVIES :
There are excellent partnerships. It was well received on the ground yesterday
by everyone in the local community. It was really disappointing that there was
opposition from those on that side of the house.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the third time.
Ms M.J. DAVIES : It
was very disappointing to see that the spokespeople for water and conservation
were critical of this program. I can tell members that it was very well
received on the ground and they are looking forward to getting on with
business.
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