Shack Sites in Western Australia

Extract from Hansard
[COUNCIL — Wednesday, 19 October 2011]
p8295c-8298a
Hon Lynn MacLaren; Hon Ken Baston; Hon Donna Faragher

Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs — Twenty-first Report — “Shack Sites in Western Australia” — Motion

Resumed from 28 September on the following motion moved by Hon Brian Ellis —

That the report be noted.

Hon LYNN MacLAREN: I want to conclude my remarks on the shack sites report on the Donnelly River
shacks. I believe I was commenting previously on the impression that the community made upon me and the
minister at the time, Hon Donna Faragher. Both of us remarked on the difference of the Donnelly River
community compared with other shack site communities. I draw members’ attention to recommendation 7
regarding the Lower Donnelly River Conservation Association. We recommended in our report that the minister
and the Department of Environment and Conservation, which is the managing authority, work with the Lower
Donnelly River Conservation Association with the aim of retaining the huts for use by the public and members
of the association on the condition that the huts meet health, building and safety standards. I believe that some
remarks have been made about the significance of cultural heritage in some of these shack sites, and this is one
perfect example of that. The Donnelly River community, I hope, will be able to use these shacks long into the
future if they are well maintained according to health and safety standards. What that indicates, basically, is that
there was no one-size-fits-all approach, because the opposite view was taken by the committee in regard to the
shacks at Wedge and Grey. Our recommendation there was that the responsible minister and the managing
authority instruct leaseholders and shack owners to remove the shacks at Wedge and Grey and, as a priority,
develop the area to provide the public with low-impact, nature-based, affordable visitor facilities and
accommodation, including camping and caravanning facilities.

I draw members’ attention to the government response to our report. Basically, the government has given these
people another 12 months to work out what to do at Wedge and Grey. I understand that what is happening now
should be of some concern to us, because, in fact, the leases for those shacks are still changing hands. They are
still being traded amongst people who want to use that community. In fact, I think that they should not be. I think
that action on those shacks should basically be frozen until they are replaced, knocked down or demolished, or
some other decision is made to manage them according to health and safety requirements.

What happened when the committee report was tabled was that the exclusive rights, basically, to that area were
asserted by the shack site owners who were still there. Free camping is no longer permitted. It is no longer
possible for us to go up there and camp in that area because of the fact that this cloud of uncertainty will exist for
another 12 months and, in an attempt to try to manage that area, no camping is allowed. In addition, I think there
are severe concerns about water contamination in that area. I would like to know from the responsible minister
for DEC whether there is a health issue due to the contamination of water because waste is not being managed at
Wedge and Grey.

This is something that the committee worked hard to examine. We looked at all the possibilities and came up
with a really strong recommendation to government, and government still seems to be caught in this quagmire of
inaction. As a result, we run the risk that people will misuse that area to an even greater extent, damage the
Aboriginal heritage sites that we know are there and further contaminate the water supply, thereby risking their
own health and wellbeing. This is something that I hope the government will take action to address. We have
highlighted it as an issue. There should be no misunderstanding about the degree of importance of managing that
area well. I question whether the Department of Environment and Conservation, as the managing body, would be
somehow liable if someone got sick from the water supply at Wedge and Grey. This needs to be a matter of
priority. It cannot be dragged out another five, 10 or 20 years with a lack of certainty. I commend the committee
report to the government. There is quite a bit of detail in it. The extensive submissions that were made by many
people from around the state about shack sites are most enlightening, if people have an interest in this issue.
Most of all, I urge the government to take action on the recommendations. The government has noted that it will
take some action, but I urge it to take action now with Wedge and Grey in particular before the situation gets
worse.