SHARK HAZARD MITIGATION
1274. Hon LYNN MacLAREN to the Leader of the
House representing the Premier:
I refer to the press release titled ''New
measures to combat WA shark risks'' issued on 10 December 2013.
Will the Premier provide an update
on progress on each of the following three measures, including, if feasible,
funds spent to date on each measure —
(a) � establishment of specific Coastal Shark Management Zones along the coast �;
(b) Developing a 'Tool
Kit' for communities in each zone in partnership with the State
Government to mitigate the
risks of a shark attack at local beaches; and
(c) A community recovery policy to
ensure support for communities affected by a shark attack?
Hon PETER COLLIER
replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
Shark hazard mitigation incidents
involving sharks and personal and community responses to interactions with
sharks are complex and broad ranging matters. There is no one single solution
and assistance to communities will continue to be assessed on a case-by-case
basis. Shark hazard mitigation approaches and technologies have evolved since
the announcement in December 2013, so the government has continued to develop a
broad and comprehensive shark hazard mitigation strategy with a number of
complementary measures. The three specific measures cited in the question have
not been progressed. However, more than $33 million has been committed to
aerial and beach patrols; new jet skis and watchtowers; research into shark
behaviour and shark population estimates; non-lethal detection and deterrent
technologies and community engagement; satellite buoys monitoring tagged shark
movements off the Western Australian coastline sending real time alerts to
beach managers and the public; a SharkSmart website—I will give members
the name of the website, but it is just a go‑to if they would like to:
www.sharksmart.com.au—a drum-line trial; a dedicated shark response
unit at the Department of Fisheries; the relocation of a Fisheries vessel to
Margaret River to boost response capacity to shark sightings and incidents in
the south west—goodness, so much is going on—guidelines for
taking sharks posing a serious threat to public safety; five beach enclosures;
and a recently announced three-month trial of drone technology. There is more.
Hon Lynn MacLaren: It is not the three things I asked
about but it is very interesting.
Hon PETER COLLIER: It is fascinating. The Premier and
the Minister for Fisheries also recently launched a new digital campaign
promoting the importance of using the SharkSmart website. The website provides
the latest information on shark activity and is a key educational tool that
includes tips for minimising risk when entering the water. The government
continues to liaise with local governments on shark hazard mitigation issues
while Fisheries is also committed to working with local governments as part of
incident response operations. The Liberal–National government remains
committed to minimising the risk of shark attack, supporting existing measures,
investigating ways to enhance and expand these measures and researching new
approaches as they become available.