SHARK DRUM LINE PROGRAM
474. Hon LYNN MacLAREN to the
Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to a study commissioned by the Department of
Fisheries conducted by Metrix and Marketforce in May 2013 on community
perceptions of shark attacks.
(1) Noting
that the study found that more than 80 per cent of Western Australians do not support
killing sharks as a method of shark hazard mitigation, on what basis does the
Premier claim that the ''silent majority'' support his
drum-lining strategy?
(2) Why has
the full report from the study not been made publicly available?
(3) What was
the total cost to taxpayers of the study?
(4) Is the
Premier aware that the study found that most Western Australians—67 per
cent in the metropolitan area and 83 per cent in the regions—either
increased or did not change their frequency of beach use during the two years
prior to the study; and that of the minority who did decrease their beach use,
only a tiny number, 13 people out of 768, gave shark attacks as the reason?
(5) Why has
the Premier ignored what the vast majority of respondents in the study said
they wanted done in response to shark attacks instead of killing sharks?
Hon
KEN BASTON replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the
question.
(1),(4)–(5)
The study was completed in May 2013. The enhanced shark hazard mitigation
strategies were announced in December 2013 following the seventh shark-related
death in WA in three years.
(2)–(3)
The study was completed at a cost of $53 000. The report, which was produced
for internal use by the Department of Fisheries, is guiding various elements of
the government's comprehensive shark hazard mitigation strategy.