2019-01-05
By Hon. Diane Evers, MLC, Member for South West
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
With the year drawing to a close, I hope everyone takes an opportunity to reflect on their successes and look forward to new challenges.
It is a privilege to be speaking up for the South West and knowing there is much more hard work to come, which fills me with excitement about what may be achieved in the future.
Throughout the next two years you can be assured I will be supporting our farmers. I will be in our forests, protecting our precious landscapes and opposing inappropriate regional development. I continue to hold the State Government to account in parliament and in my role on the Estimates and Financial Operations Committee. But most importantly of all, I will continue meeting with you, the South West community. Your voice is my voice – together we can continue to build a future for all of us.
Warmest wishes for the festive season and a happy new year to you and your loved ones,
Diane
YOONDADADUP LAKE JASPER: TOO BEAUTIFUL TO MINE
There was an outpouring of online support in October when I shared speculation the State Government had approved a mining lease at Western Australia’s largest freshwater lake, Yoondadadup Lake Jasper.
While a mining lease has not yet been approved, I was subsequently pleased when Environment Minister Stephen Dawson responded to my questions in parliament on the matter by indicating he will write to Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston to suspend consideration of a mining lease application.
Following this, in early December I camped overnight at Yoondadadup Lake Jasper as part of the D’Entrecasteaux Coalition’s ‘Camp on the Country’, joining Indigenous custodians and strong committed campaigners ready-and-waiting to make a difference.
There is no reason a mining lease should proceed – and I will be seeking to ensure this land is returned to D’Entrecasteaux National Park.
I encourage concerned community members to learn more and get involved by visiting savelakejasper.org.au
HEALTHY OCEANS NEED SHARKS
Thousands oppose a baited shark drumline trial ‒ and in November, prior to tabling a petition to support such opposition, I made a member's statement in parliament to explain why.
The tabled petition, with 198 signatures opposing the WA Fisheries S.M.A.R.T. Drumline Trial, was supported by an online version signed by 7000 others who believe a trial of S.M.A.R.T. Drumlines lacks supporting evidence, increases risks to beach users and would have a harmful effect on our precious marine life.
DUNSBOROUGH DONE WITH PUMA
Some great news came from the Court of Appeal on December 2, with the announcement that a 2017 Supreme Court ruling allowing the development of a 24-hour Puma convenience store and petrol station on Dunn Bay Road has been overturned.
This development was proposed at a central location and it would have undermined community and Council expectations and decisions regarding the development of their town.
Development needs to be approved in line with community desires – it is not good enough to simply allow big operators to come in and make it unviable for existing operators.
For the past three years Tony Sharp and the community group Puma2Go have championed overwhelming community opposition to this development. Knowing our communities are being heard is encouraging and I hope the developers, the consortium Dunsborough Centrepoint Shopping Centre, will now abandon their plans.
GREEN PUSH FOR GREENBUSHES RAIL
I have been advocating for a freight rail solution at the Talison Lithium mine in Greenbushes throughout 2018. Lithium mining is growing in Western Australia and discussions are being held to consider reopening the Tier 3 Greenbushes–Bunbury rail line.
I also met with Talison Lithium general manager of operations Craig Dawson prior to a well-attended community meeting at the Greenbushes District Hall on December 5. We discussed a rail solution and the possibility of a conveyor belt option to avoid road-based freight impacting on the town.
Many in the local community support a rail solution, rather than trucks transporting lithium through their town to Kemerton, Kwinana and Bunbury Port. Current and future Governments will be expected to maintain and improve any road truck routes – opening the rail line would lessen this burden considerably.
We need this rail line. A considerable amount of infrastructure is needed, but the benefits would be ongoing. Reopening the line would require considerable infrastructure and the Federal Government can be approached to contribute along with state funding and Arc Infrastructure, who lease the line. The timber industry has also expressed interest in using the line.
COMMUNITY CONCERNS FOR SWEET DEAL
I am investigating concerns about a share-farming agreement on land near Walpole, for which the Water Corporation will receive a portion of revenue from the production of honey products.
Under the terms of the deal, three blocks of land owned by Water Corporation in the Walpole water catchment area will be sprayed with glyphosate to kill pasture, then planted with an introduced-species of tea tree.
The Walpole community is fighting this proposal and have a petition circulating to try to stop the project. The community want to be involved in the process for determining the best use of this land.
The risk of introducing an invasive species and of heavy glyphosate use in the catchment demands these community concerns be raised in parliament.
SOUTH WEST, PARLIAMENT & BEYOND...
There were many other issues I looked at in the past few months, including:
- My member's statement on Industrial Hemp - October 17
- Petition tabled in Parliament opposed to the development of Greenpatch, Dalyellup - October 30
- Albany Agricultural Show - November 9-10
- Petition tabled in Parliament opposed to the proposed southern section of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road - November 20
- My member's statement to mark National Agriculture Day - November 21
- Joining the weekly Asylum Seekers Action Group vigil in Albany - November 24
- My first Pride march - also November 24!
- Debating the motion of Bushfire Preparedness - November 29
- The Big School Walkout for Climate Change - November 30
- Supporting West Papua's Independence Day - December 1
You can contact me by calling the office on 08 9486 8070, or emailing southwest.evers@mp.wa.gov.au
Header photo: Diane with visiting Nepalese Greens, Tika Dhoj Bhandari and Rachana Shrestha (4th and 5th from left, respectively), along with Kedar Rijal, Mani Paneru and Chris Johansen, GI Co-editor
Text photo: Diane holding the flag of West Papua to mark their Independence Day, December 1