❓ Ms. Mettam questions the Minister for Fisheries about a whale carcass at Wyadup Rocks and the lack of a clear policy for dealing with such situations. The Minister responds by outlining the complexities of whale carcass management and defends the current approach.
AnsweredQoN 785Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WHALE CARCASS — WYADUP ROCKS
785. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to a whale carcass at Wyadup Rocks that has been left
to rot and decompose now for 58 days, and I refer to the minister's
comments in 2014 about the confusion and chaos caused by the then state
government's lack of a clearly defined protocol for dealing with whale
carcasses. What action has the minister personally taken since coming into
government to ensure that there is a clearly defined policy for dealing with
whale carcasses —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members on my right! Start again.
Ms L. METTAM : I refer to a whale carcass at Wyadup
Rocks that has been left to rot and decompose now for 58 days, and I refer to
the minister's comments in 2014 about the confusion and chaos caused by
the then state government's lack of a clearly defined protocol for
dealing with whale carcasses. What action has the minister personally taken
since coming into government to ensure that there is a clearly defined policy
for dealing with whale carcasses; and why has the carcass not been removed?
Mr D.T. Redman : Cut the blubber off it.
785. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to a whale carcass at Wyadup Rocks that has been left
to rot and decompose now for 58 days, and I refer to the minister's
comments in 2014 about the confusion and chaos caused by the then state
government's lack of a clearly defined protocol for dealing with whale
carcasses. What action has the minister personally taken since coming into
government to ensure that there is a clearly defined policy for dealing with
whale carcasses —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members on my right! Start again.
Ms L. METTAM : I refer to a whale carcass at Wyadup
Rocks that has been left to rot and decompose now for 58 days, and I refer to
the minister's comments in 2014 about the confusion and chaos caused by
the then state government's lack of a clearly defined protocol for
dealing with whale carcasses. What action has the minister personally taken
since coming into government to ensure that there is a clearly defined policy
for dealing with whale carcasses; and why has the carcass not been removed?
Mr D.T. Redman : Cut the blubber off it.
AnswerView source ↗
The member for Warren–Blackwood
is talking about the tears of opposition, if he is talking about blubbering. A lot
of that goes on on his side of the house. It is very hard for him to reconcile
to his new place in the world.
The management of whale carcasses is
a very serious question. As members opposite would know, if they really wanted
to look at this issue, whale carcasses are naturally occurring. When whales
die, they often wash up on the beach. What we do with them depends on a range
of factors.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
Mr D.J. KELLY : The member for
the ANZ thinks this is funny.
The SPEAKER : Minister, you
will call him by his correct title, please.
Mr D.J. KELLY : Thank you, Mr
Speaker.
What we can do with a whale carcass
once it washes up depends on a number of things. It depends on the state of
decomposition. Members opposite think it is very easy, from the comments they
have made in recent times, to just get in there and move it. If it is greatly
decomposed, and we try to move it, we run the risk that the whale carcass will
fall apart, and instead of having one pile of whale blubber—like the
member for Warren–Blackwood—attracting sharks, we have multiple
attractants for sharks. Last thing we want to do is try to move a whale carcass
by towing it out to sea and having it break up. We also have to look at the
location of it. If it is in a location that makes it impractical to move it,
there is not a lot that can be done. If members opposite are suggesting —
Point of Order
Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE :
The minister was asked a specific question about a specific situation.
The SPEAKER : He is answering
the question, member.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Several members interjected.
Mr D.J. KELLY : I have almost
lost my train of thought.
The SPEAKER : Members on my
right, your own member is on his feet.
Mr D.J. KELLY : The location
is very important. I think the whale carcass that the member for Vasse has
referred to is washed up on rocks. If the carcass is on rocks, it is often
almost impossible to get in there and physically remove it. The occupational health
and safety of the staff who will do the job must be taken into account. If it
is in a very inaccessible area, and we are trying to preserve human life, the
last thing we want to do is ask staff to go in and try to move a 30 or 40-tonne
whale carcass. Where it is practicable, the first option is to try to remove
the whale carcass—not tow it out to sea, but remove it and bury it in
landfill. That is the preferred choice.
If we go back through public
comments that members opposite have made about this issue, we see that they
just make it sound as though it is easy to go in and remove it. I am happy if
the member for Vasse wants to set up a volunteer task force of her and some of
her colleagues to try to move that whale carcass off those rocks. She would soon
find that it is a very dangerous task.
Sometimes, if a whale carcass is in
a high state of decomposition and in an inaccessible location, one of the only
things we can do is to allow the whale carcass to decompose naturally and let
nature take its course. While that happens, we put out warnings and hope that
people heed the warnings. There are lots of surf breaks in the south west;
people can go and surf somewhere else. With a well-sign-posted and
well-documented whale carcass, we allow nature to take its course. Since I have
been in government, I have asked all the questions of those agencies and I am
satisfied that they do the best job they can, and their task is not helped by
the frivolous comments made by members opposite.
is talking about the tears of opposition, if he is talking about blubbering. A lot
of that goes on on his side of the house. It is very hard for him to reconcile
to his new place in the world.
The management of whale carcasses is
a very serious question. As members opposite would know, if they really wanted
to look at this issue, whale carcasses are naturally occurring. When whales
die, they often wash up on the beach. What we do with them depends on a range
of factors.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
Mr D.J. KELLY : The member for
the ANZ thinks this is funny.
The SPEAKER : Minister, you
will call him by his correct title, please.
Mr D.J. KELLY : Thank you, Mr
Speaker.
What we can do with a whale carcass
once it washes up depends on a number of things. It depends on the state of
decomposition. Members opposite think it is very easy, from the comments they
have made in recent times, to just get in there and move it. If it is greatly
decomposed, and we try to move it, we run the risk that the whale carcass will
fall apart, and instead of having one pile of whale blubber—like the
member for Warren–Blackwood—attracting sharks, we have multiple
attractants for sharks. Last thing we want to do is try to move a whale carcass
by towing it out to sea and having it break up. We also have to look at the
location of it. If it is in a location that makes it impractical to move it,
there is not a lot that can be done. If members opposite are suggesting —
Point of Order
Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE :
The minister was asked a specific question about a specific situation.
The SPEAKER : He is answering
the question, member.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Several members interjected.
Mr D.J. KELLY : I have almost
lost my train of thought.
The SPEAKER : Members on my
right, your own member is on his feet.
Mr D.J. KELLY : The location
is very important. I think the whale carcass that the member for Vasse has
referred to is washed up on rocks. If the carcass is on rocks, it is often
almost impossible to get in there and physically remove it. The occupational health
and safety of the staff who will do the job must be taken into account. If it
is in a very inaccessible area, and we are trying to preserve human life, the
last thing we want to do is ask staff to go in and try to move a 30 or 40-tonne
whale carcass. Where it is practicable, the first option is to try to remove
the whale carcass—not tow it out to sea, but remove it and bury it in
landfill. That is the preferred choice.
If we go back through public
comments that members opposite have made about this issue, we see that they
just make it sound as though it is easy to go in and remove it. I am happy if
the member for Vasse wants to set up a volunteer task force of her and some of
her colleagues to try to move that whale carcass off those rocks. She would soon
find that it is a very dangerous task.
Sometimes, if a whale carcass is in
a high state of decomposition and in an inaccessible location, one of the only
things we can do is to allow the whale carcass to decompose naturally and let
nature take its course. While that happens, we put out warnings and hope that
people heed the warnings. There are lots of surf breaks in the south west;
people can go and surf somewhere else. With a well-sign-posted and
well-documented whale carcass, we allow nature to take its course. Since I have
been in government, I have asked all the questions of those agencies and I am
satisfied that they do the best job they can, and their task is not helped by
the frivolous comments made by members opposite.
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