Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased today to speak about my recent trip to Exmouth a fortnight ago. Over 800 kilometres north of Geraldton, Exmouth is in the heart of the Gascoyne region, and this gorgeous iconic beachside town offers locals and tourists a great fishing, camping and snorkelling experience. Exmouth is home to more than 2,300 people according to the 2011 census, with fishing, tourism, light engineering and building and construction among the key local industries. In my two-day trip, as well as talking with constituents I attended the Gascoyne Country Zone meeting with representatives from the shires of Carnarvon, Exmouth, Shark Bay, Upper Gascoyne, Wiluna and Meekatharra. Amongst the vast range of issues each council faces, the councils and I all agree that a deepwater wharf in Exmouth will be a game changer for these six shires. The wharf would then create pressure to improve transport links in the region to benefit the cattle and tourism industries, to name but a few, but it would also create more pressure to increase the Defence presence in Exmouth.

It is well known that great things do take time, and projects such as the deepwater wharf cannot be achieved by one person or one body alone; they can only be achieved through groups such as local councils working together to improve their towns and regions, together with the state and federal governments. I commend the Shire of Exmouth for this fabulous initiative and wish them all the best in raising the funds.