Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Every member of this house has an electorate rich in history and in character, and I would like to draw members’ attention to a unique part of the Fremantle electorate, Rottnest Island. Located 19 kilometres off the coast of Fremantle, Rottnest Island is 11 kilometres long and 4½ kilometres wide, and was named by the Dutch explorer de Vlamingh, who landed there in 1696 and thought the native marsupial quokkas were rats, hence ‘rat’s nest’. Rottnest Island has many important heritage aspects. It was notoriously used as a prison for Aboriginal people. It was a military base during World War II. More recently, Rottnest has been made an A-class environmental reserve and is a popular tourist destination: over 500,000 tourists visit the island each year.

I would like to speak, firstly, of Rottnest Island’s Indigenous heritage in a little more detail. Seven thousand years ago, Rottnest was connected to the Western Australian mainland. Over the millennia, moving seas turned it into an island. Tools that have been found on Rottnest Island indicate that Aboriginal people were there many thousands of years ago. In our more recent history, Rottnest was used as a prison for Aboriginal people for almost a century, starting in 1838. The island has some very sad stories to tell about the treatment of Aboriginal people in WA. The heritage officers at Rottnest informed me that many of the Aboriginal men who were prisoners on Rottnest Island were leaders and lawmen in their own communities. They were in some cases transported many thousands of kilometres to be put on an island with other Aboriginal men from all over Western Australia, many of them not even speaking the same language. Not only would this have been a terrifying and bewildering experience for the men but also, almost certainly, it would have devastated the Aboriginal communities that had been deprived of their leaders.

Over 3,700 Aboriginal men and boys were sent to the island over the course of its use as a prison. While there, the men were required to construct buildings and perform other work that was completely alien to their own culture and experience. Three hundred and sixty nine men are recorded as having died on Rottnest Island and it is believed that many more died when they were released to the mainland and had to find their way back to their lands hundreds or even thousands of kilometres from the Fremantle port. The buildings and structures that many of the Aboriginal men built are still used on the island today, including the quod, which had been the prison and is now part of the Rottnest Lodge Resort, and the lighthouses on the island. More recently, steps have been taken to include Aboriginal people in the decision-making processes on the island, to reclaim the Aboriginal burial grounds, which were formerly used as tourist camping facilities, and to rebuild and celebrate the spiritual connection of the Aboriginal people with this place.

In relation to Rottnest Island’s military heritage, I was pleased to have been able to invite the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs to visit the island recently. It was an eye-opening experience for him, as it was for me the first time I went there, to see what a significant role the island played during Australia’s wartime history. The island was first used for military purposes during World War I, when it was used as an internment camp for 1,300 Germans and Croatians. During World War II, the island became a key defence post. By 1942, 2,500 military personnel were stationed there. Rottnest Island had two extremely large, nine-inch guns for the purpose of defending Fremantle port and the south-west coastline. These guns are in their original locations atop two hills overlooking the sea and they are the largest in-situ guns in the country. One of these guns has been fully restored and is open for inspection to the public. Unfortunately, due to lack of funds, the other gun has not been restored. There is also an elaborate system of tunnels and underground rooms or battle stations, including mapping rooms, where many women were stationed during the war. These facilities, which are not currently open to the public due to safety concerns, are also deteriorating and in serious need of repair. I hope that funds will become available for this purpose in order to preserve this important part of our history.

In relation to Rottnest Island’s natural heritage, Rottnest is a great model for sustainable tourism. Many people come to the island to enjoy the beaches, snorkelling, scuba diving and fishing. The Rottnest Island Authority has done a wonderful job in ensuring their operations are sustainable and do not damage the island. In the near future, work will begin on an eco resort which will have a five-star green rating. As the member for Fremantle, I encourage members to visit Rottnest Island to gain an appreciation of its rich Indigenous, military and environmental heritage, and also to stay and enjoy its relaxed atmosphere and beautiful nature.