Heritage—Paula Nelson
Brief ministerial statement
Ms Simone McGurk (Fremantle—Minister for Heritage) (9:13 am): I rise today as the Minister for Heritage and as the member for Fremantle to acknowledge the service of Paula Nelson, someone who embodies enthusiasm for everything Fremantle, heritage and tourism. Having been decommissioned from service in 1991, Fremantle Prison reopened to the public in 1992 and today is the state's only built site on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage List. Paula has announced that early next year she will be finishing up as Director of Fremantle Prison, a role she has held since 2016. Paula is a passionate champion of heritage tourism and has been at the forefront of the prison's success during this time, delivering a new master plan, a $20 million conservation works program and many, many major events.
Paula initially joined the prison team in 2003 to manage tourism services and introduced new experiences such as the Torchlight Tour and Tunnels Tour. Under Paula's leadership, the prison has matured as a quality visitor attraction and just last month, the prison welcomed the most visitors in any month since opening to the public in 1992. The prison is now established as a distinctive event venue and I know that the recent conservation and refit of the special handling unit, formerly an open exercise yard and secure prisoner workshop, is currently allowing the space to be used as the green room for the band Crowded House. Many local business operators in Fremantle and leaders across Western Australia's tourism sector know Paula well. She is an avid advocate for Fremantle and champions the collective value of its key tourist destinations and what they offer the millions of tourists that visit Western Australia every year. Paula has created a strong foundation for the prison moving into its next chapter, supported by a strong team that share her passion for this World Heritage listed site. It is no surprise that Paula won a WA Telstra Business Women's Award in 2019 and that the prison has won successive Australian and WA tourism awards during her tenure.
Today, I want to thank Paula for her commitment to improving visitor experiences at the prison, running a quality tourist attraction while concurrently delivering extensive conservation works, and for leading the team to uncover and celebrate the many layers of stories and heritage of prison life. I congratulate Paula on her success and wish her well in her future endeavours.
