Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on an issue that is relevant to Western Australia. I rise to support the proposed rescue plan put forward by the Premier of Western Australia to assist the people of the Great Southern mining town of Hopetoun, Western Australia, and the wider region, which is currently facing an acute economic downturn as a consequence of the closure of the BHP Billiton nickel mine. The proposed rescue plan put forward by the Premier includes the construction of a tourist access road for the Fitzgerald River National Park from Hopetoun to Bremer Bay and will provide a significant financial injection for the local area and for local infrastructure. The construction of the proposed tourist road would commence with the sealing of the ends of the track at Hopetoun and the very popular coastal tourist town of Bremer Bay. This would be followed by the construction of the middle section of the road through the Fitzgerald River National Park. An adventure walk trail, which is permitted by the park’s management plan, would also be constructed through the centre of the park between the construction of stages 1 and 2.

Senators will be aware of the decision and the announcement by BHP Billiton that its Ravensthorpe lateritic nickel mine has been closed as a direct consequence of the continuing fall in the global price of nickel. The impact of the decision to close the mine has had a significant effect on the town of Hopetoun. It is expected that at least 1,800 jobs will be lost. This will no doubt have a significant economic effect on the communities in Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun and indeed the wider area.

I recently had the opportunity of discussing the proposed rescue plan with the Premier of Western Australia, Colin Barnett. In our discussions the Premier canvassed with me the objectives that the Western Australian government have in respect of the proposal. They are: (1) to protect jobs in Western Australia jeopardised by the economic downturn by investing in infrastructure, (2) to provide tourism infrastructure to support the economic sustainability of the Ravensthorpe regional area following the closure of BHP Billiton’s nickel operation and (3) to responsibly manage tourism in this highly environmentally sensitive and valuable area by controlling tourist access to the Fitzgerald River National Park. The Western Australian government have announced a visionary plan which will see tourism within this area boosted. The tourism potential of the road has already been likened to that of Victoria’s popular Great Ocean Road. It is intended that the proposed Hopetoun-Bremer Bay road will form the first link in what will eventually become a world-class tourist destination in Western Australia’s southern coastal area, to be known as the Southern Ocean Drive.

The state government’s action plan, which has significant merit, will bring great benefits to the people of Hopetoun in particular but also to the wider area in Western Australia. It is estimated that the proposed road when fully completed will cost in excess of $120 million, and it will require federal funding. The road would be constructed in two stages, with the first stage costing approximately $40 million. When the Western Australian Premier, Colin Barnett, seeks federal funding—which I understand would be based on an equal federal-state joint arrangement—I would encourage the federal government to support such a request, as it would undoubtedly represent a significant boost to transport infrastructure in this area at a time of great need.

I am aware that Premier Barnett is acutely conscious of the environmental issues that are involved in the construction of the tourist road, and as such he believes that there is a need to stage the construction to enable proper consideration of the environmental issues that are raised. Stage 1 would consist of sealing and upgrading the existing tracks at either end of the Fitzgerald River National Park at a cost of approximately $40 million. Construction of this stage could begin in late 2009 and would be completed in 2011. Stage 2 would involve constructing the middle section of the road through the Fitzgerald River National Park, at a cost yet to be finalised but estimated to be in the vicinity of $80 million. Premier Barnett has made the point that he acknowledges the environmental sensitivity of the area and that the stage 2 section would no doubt require amendments to the park’s management plan and may also require state and federal environmental considerations.

I was pleased to read in Kalgoorlie Miner on 31 January 2009 that Tourism WA’s ‘Australia’s Golden Outback’ manager, Mr Lance Hardy, advised that ‘Tourism WA would certainly be supportive of a coastal road which had iconic significance’. Given the federal government’s desire to generate additional infrastructure projects, and having regard to the objective interests of the Great Southern economy, I would urge and encourage the federal government to work closely with the Western Australian government to provide the necessary joint financial assistance.

Those senators who have had the opportunity to visit the Hopetoun-Bremer Bay area of my state will know that it is an area which has magnificent—indeed, stunning—scenery and which, if properly managed, has the potential to become an important tourism attraction for the region. To quote the Western Australian Premier, Colin Barnett, in an article on the Perth Now website on 27 January 2009:

It is a spectacular area, a most spectacular coastline and we are confident that it would become an important tourist route.

This is an opportunity to have a superb national park, available for people and properly managed.

More importantly, the road will also assist in revitalising Hopetoun, which has been effected by the closure of the BHP nickel mine there.

The park needs to be opened up so the public can get proper access. If the road is built from Bremer Bay to Hopetoun that will become in my view a very successful tourist route …

I am also aware that the proposed tourist road will traverse some areas of significant conservation value. It will run through the Fitzgerald River National Park, a UNESCO listed biodiversity hotspot and 330,000-hectare conservation area. I recognise that the Fitzgerald River National Park and biosphere reserve is estimated to contain about 2,000 vascular plants which are said to be native to the region and that within the park there 78,000 hectares of land zoned for wilderness protection. I also recognise that, like a number of our national and regional parks in Western Australia, some areas are protected from public access to reduce the spread of dieback disease. I am a strong supporter of responsible park management that is designed to protect our environment.

There have been suggestions, however, that the coastal road would not be environmentally friendly, that it may do more harm than good to the national park. I remind senators that across Australia there are many roads that traverse national parks and A-class reserves and that the existence of well managed roads has opened great tourist opportunities and allowed Australians and international visitors to enjoy the wonders of our great country, with its unique scenery and wide open spaces. It is fallacious to claim, as some have, that constructing a new sealed road will destroy the wilderness value of the area. The reality is that currently, because there is no properly engineered and sealed road, you have people taking their four-wheel drives into the park and indiscriminately criss-crossing wherever they like on an ad hoc basis. They have no regard for the environment. This indiscriminate use of four-wheel drive vehicles, in particular in environmentally sensitive areas, has the potential to damage the environment and it should not be condoned.

It is my view, and the view of a number of people whom I have talked to and who have lived and worked in the Great Southern region of my state and who have a remarkable knowledge of the local area, that a dedicated and properly sealed coastal road would ensure that this type of environmentally damaging behaviour is stopped, with vehicles being limited to the sealed road. I again remind the Senate that the Western Australian Premier has made it quite clear that any road would be subject to the strict environmental approvals that we have in Western Australia.

It always interests me to hear the Greens, who are opposed to this proposal put forward by the Western Australian Premier, arguing for fewer mining projects and more ecotourism projects and yet, when the crunch comes and we are faced with the closure of a mine and the loss of 1,800 jobs but we are also presented with an opportunity to expand the ecotourism opportunities of the area, the Greens find every reason to oppose any development, notwithstanding that in this case a dedicated sealed road would lessen the current environmentally damaging ad hoc four-wheel drive vehicle behaviour by limiting vehicles to the sealed road.

I am of the view that to adopt a do-nothing approach in the Ravensthorpe-Hopetoun areas, given the job losses that currently confront those communities, is not a solution to the problem and only adds to the difficulties that the area is facing. I should also say that we as Liberals on this side of the chamber are conscious of the need to protect the environment and it would be totally wrong of other parties to think that they are the only ones in this chamber who care for the environment. But the difference between the Liberal Party and the Greens is that, when we are faced with a significant economic downturn as a consequence of a global financial crisis, we as Liberals are all about seeking and promoting responsible solutions to assist affected people while the Greens are content to adopt a do-nothing approach, irrespective of the pain and suffering that will undoubtedly be caused to those people in the affected area.

The Rudd Labor government has recognised the need to stimulate the Australian economy through investment in community infrastructure. Mr Rudd is on the record as stating that the government was focusing on infrastructure because it was a major driver of economic growth. Indeed, in November 2008 the Prime Minister announced that a $300 million investment in community infrastructure had been brought forward to stimulate the economy during the global economic crisis. When making this announcement, Mr Rudd called on local councils to begin a speedy rollout of local infrastructure that would deliver an immediate boost to the economy, along with long-term community developments. The federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government agreed that investment in local infrastructure would deliver both economic and social benefits to communities across Australia.

The Fitzgerald River National Park Road project represents just that: an investment in local infrastructure in Western Australia which will stimulate the economy and deliver both economic and social benefits not only to the people of Western Australia but to the people of Australia. The road will be labour intensive. It will make use of local contractors within the Great Southern area, providing much-needed jobs. I strongly urge the Rudd government to work with the Western Australian government to proceed with construction of stage 1 of the Fitzgerald River National Park Tourist Road. I wish the Western Australian government all the very best with this proposal and I am sure that when the road is built it will become a successful tourist route and will provide long-term benefits to both Hopetoun and the Great Southern region.

Let us not forget that the farmers, miners, business operators and government workers who have all provided vital services to the region and added much to the economic prosperity of the state over many years are entitled to be remembered in their hour of need. I congratulate Colin Barnett as Premier of Western Australia on taking positive, visionary action to assist the people of Hopetoun and the Great Southern region during their time of need.