Wetlands aid questioned

Stakeholders in the Vasse Wonnerup wetlands have questioned whether long-awaited measures announced by the State Government last week are enough to save the Ramsar-listed asset.

Water Minister Mia Davies was in Busselton on Friday to announce the creation of a new ministerial taskforce to tackle the health of the wetlands and a $200,000 funding boost to community organisation GeoCatch.

Ms Davies also revealed $500,000 to conduct a feasibility study on reconnecting the Vasse and Sabina rivers to the wetlands to improve water flow, and $4.8 million to connect 126 lots in Quindalup to the main sewerage system to reduce nutrient flows from septic tanks.

Monash University Emeritus Professor Barry Hart, who submitted his independent review on the wetlands to the Liberal National Government in March, said he had doubts about the measures.

“I still think the question of funding is one they haven’t really addressed, ” he said.

“They made an offer of a couple of hundred thousand dollars to GeoCatch but $200,000 isn’t very much. It’s not sufficient, I believe, to what needs to be done.”

In the report, Professor Hart said up to $50 million was needed over 10 years to make a significant improvement.

Ms Davies said additional funding would be needed from Royalties for Regions and Federal Government schemes to implement action plans – estimating an initial figure of $5 million.

Former GeoCatch board member and Vasse MLA Bernie Masters said the Government’s initiatives lacked substance.

Mr Masters said Professor Hart’s review had given the community hope the State Government would take meaningful action. “Instead, we have had scraps of money offered to GeoCatch, a one-year delay before the taskforce reports and money being spent on deep sewerage, a relatively lowly ranked management action, ” he said.

The Government did draw praise from Professor Hart on their new ministerial taskforce, which will include representatives from GeoCatch, the South West Development Commission, the departments of Water, Parks and Wildlife, Agriculture and Food and Fisheries, the City of Busselton, Busselton Water and the Water Corporation. The Department of Water will take the lead next year.