Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I wish to bring before this House today an issue of concern in my Canning electorate in a tiny beachside hamlet called Preston Beach. Preston Beach, like many other parts of Western Australia, is undergoing potentially huge development. Currently there is a proposal on the board for something like 1,500 to 2,000 new blocks, just in what was once described as a ‘beach shack’ development on the edge of the Indian Ocean. What concerns me is that currently the Waroona Shire Council has approved a development of something like 150 so-called shacks. These shacks are to be developed by a company called Rapley Wilkinson as timeshare units on the former caravan park site. The biggest concern about this is not the fact that they are developing these beachside shacks to use for time share but the fact that they are developing them without an integrated sewerage system. I will explain this.

The Preston Beach area is located on what is called the Ramsar wetlands. In fact, the correct title is the Ramsar listed Peel-Yalgorup river system. Because they cannot connect to an integrated sewerage system in this area, they are going to put in, as a replacement, a biosewerage system called BioMAX. BioMAX sewerage systems work on small lots but not on development sites of 150 lots, as in this case. They need to be continually maintained. It is not an ideal situation. When there is a huge development of more than 1,500 blocks, an integrated approach to sewerage and water in this pristine area of Western Australia should be considered. Not only is this Ramsar wetlands an area of environmental sensitivity; it has been listed as a World Heritage site because it contains within it ancient stromatolites. The concern about not having a proper sewerage system, as occurs in this case, is the seepage and drainage which may head towards these marvellous wetlands.

I have raised this issue with Senator Ian Campbell, as the Minister for the Environment and Heritage. I have carbon copied a letter to the state Minister for the Environment and the state Minister for Water Resources and his CEO, because I fear that this spot development allowed by the Waroona Shire Council will advantage these developers—when somebody else comes along at a later stage to put in a proper integrated system, they will get on the back of it without having made a contribution. There is so much more I could say. I would like to table the letter I have written to the environment minister, which will explain much more of my concern.

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