An Aboriginal cultural center will be built on a site between the Derbarl Yerrigan, also known as the Swan River, and the Perth Concert Hall to showcase Western Australia’s indigenous culture.
Key points:
The center will be located between the Perth Concert Hall and Swan River
The state and federal governments provided $104 million in seed funding
Premier Mark McGowan says he is “very excited” by the location
The location was chosen by the Whadjuk Aboriginal Cultural Center Cultural Authority, a body set up to provide advice on the cultural center and a best possible site.
The committee’s Barry Winmar said the center would give Aboriginal people a strong voice and show Aboriginal culture in its best light.
“It gives us an opportunity to tell our stories, to tell our songlines and showcase what our culture looks like through art, dance and through print and media,” Mr Winmar said.
The site was culturally significant as the location of watering holes and tributaries of the river.
Barry Winmar says the site has a special significance for WA’s Indigenous people. (ABC News: James Carmody)
“There were walking trails along there. We had a really strong connection with the water and the land,” Mr Winmar said.
It was also close to where Whadjuk Noongar leader Yellagonga, who died in 1843, was buried.
The Commonwealth government has previously provided $50 million seed funding for the project, and the WA government $54 million, as part of an election commitment.
The Terrace Road carpark, located between the Swan River and the Perth Concert Hall, has been chosen as the site to build the Aboriginal Cultural Centre. (ABC News: James Carmody)
Premier Mark McGowan said the cultural center was due to be finished by 2028 and will likely include major private sector and philanthropic contributions to create a “world-standard facility”.
“We want tourists from Australia and around the world to come and visit and understand and enjoy that experience,” Mr McGowan said.
“It’s a great opportunity for understanding and for creating jobs and also for that great sense of identity that will come with it.
“So we’re very excited about this location.”
Patrick Gorman, seen here at a smoking ceremony during the announcement, believes the site could become an iconic attraction. (ABC News: James Carmody)
Federal minister and WA MP Patrick Gorman thought it could be WA’s answer to the Opera House in Sydney.
“This is about giving Western Australia something that expresses the full breadth of Aboriginal culture,” Mr Gorman said.
City of Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas said he was excited the cultural center would be located in the city.
“It’s hard to believe that in 2022 our nation does not have an Aboriginal cultural center and museum of this size and shape and standing, that we are anticipating will now be built,” Mr Zempilas said.
“So I’m absolutely thrilled that the City of Perth is likely to be home to this facility. It’s very important for our country, for our state and in particular for our city.”
A last-minute legal challenge against the construction of a controversial bypass highway in WA’s south has failed in its bid to stop bulldozers from clearing native bushland.
Key points:
A Federal Court judge has dismissed a legal environmental challenge against the highway
At $1.25 billion, it is WA’s single most expensive road project
Clearing of native bushland is expected to resume today
On Friday, construction was halted at the southern and final leg of the $1.25 billion Bunbury Outer Ring Road when an eleventh-hour injunction was granted by the court.
But the court today agreed with government lawyers that the legal challenge “had no legs”, and dismissed the injunction, clearing the way for construction to resume today.
Judge Craig Colvin was not satisfied with the opponents’ legal argument about the legitimacy of the federal process Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek took to grant environmental approval.
Work to clear 71 hectares of native habitat for the road began last week, prompting protests from members of the local community who have said the impact on the critically endangered western ringtail possum would be too great.
At least five people were arrested for trespassing onto the site and locking themselves on to machinery and trees.
The court was told about 72 critically endangered western ringtail possums could perish as a result of the clearing and the road fragmenting their habitat.
During the court hearing, lawyers for the Friends of the Gelorup Corridor group attempted to pick holes in the ministerial approvals process.
Justice Colvin acknowledged the opponents to the project were concerned the damage to western ringtail possums, Carnaby’s black cockatoos and black strip-minnow would be too great if the project went ahead.
“It is difficult because of competing priorities,” he said.
But he said it was not for the court to decide on the merits of the environmental conditions for the project.
Justice Colvin noted the WA Solicitor General’s argument that delay to the project would be costly, and that work had been done to limit impact on possums, and there was evidence the possums would ‘relocate.’
Local group ‘devastated’ by ruling
The Gelorup group behind the legal action released a statement within minutes of the court’s decision, saying the group was “devastated” but would continue to fight.
A person wearing a giant possum costume at a July rally against the Bunbury Outer Ring Road.(ABC South West: Sam Bold)
“Our community has been strengthened and splintered by this action, and the enormous distress of watching our 400-year-old trees shredded through a woodchipper will now recommence,” the statement read.
It said the assertion impacts to the wildlife could be managed were “brutally wrong”.
“The federal minister still has it within her power, particularly in the light of this devastating news so early into the project, to halt all works and reassess. We hope she finds the will power to action this today.”
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After a six-week winter recess, West Australian politicians will return to parliament today to start the last half of the sitting year.
Key points:
The priorities include reforms in the wake of Annaliesse Ugle’s death
Improving operations at Perth’s casino will also be high on the agenda
The opposition is keeping the spotlight on recent controversies
Plenty has happened since they last agreed, including another COVID-19 wave and controversies involving the Agriculture Minister and Attorney-General.
Even still, the government insists a cabinet reshuffle is not on the cards, with its focus instead on five priorities for the 33 sitting days ahead.
At the top of their list for reforms are long-awaited changes to WA’s Bail Act, largely in response to the death of Annaliesse Ugle in 2020.
The 11-year-old took her own life after the man accused of sexual assaulting her was released on bail.
The reforms are currently sitting in the lower house and will change the act in a variety of ways, including when a person is charged with child sex offences.
Labor will use its majority in parliament to pass long-awaited changes to WA’s Bail Act.(AAP Image/David Gray)
Once the new legislation is passed, anyone deciding bail in that situation will have to specifically consider a number of factors, including the “physical and emotional wellbeing” of the child victim.
Another provision will mean that where a child victim raises concerns about their safety and welfare if the accused is not kept in custody, the person deciding bail must be presented with that information by the prosecutor and take it into consideration.
When he introduced the bill into parliament, Attorney-General John Quigley said it struck the right balance “between elevating the voices and concerns of child victims of sexual abuse and maintaining the precepts of our justice system”.
Crown Perth reforms also high priority
It has been around five months since the WA government was handed the Crown Casino Royal Commission’s final report, containing 59 recommendations on how to clean up money laundering, criminal infiltration and problem gambling.
The first swathe of laws designed to start chipping away at those recommendations are yet to pass parliament but are on the priority list.
The reforms are aimed at tackling money laundering and problem gambling at Perth’s casino.(ABC News: Hugh Sando)
The bill is also still in the lower house, having been introduced just before parliament broke for the winter break.
Once passed, it will establish an independent monitor who will oversee the casino for a two-year remediation period, as recommended in the report.
Questions have been raised about the utility of that monitor though, with one gambling researcher raising concerns the casino would return to “business as usual” at the end of that two-year period.
The bill will also increase maximum penalties under the Casino Control Act from $100,000 to $100 million, and allow the minister to appoint an independent chair of the Gaming and Wagering Commission.
While there are more than a dozen other bills currently on the books for MPs to consider, the government is particularly keen to see three of them pass soon.
One will implement recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse by requiring about 4,000 organizations to report allegations or convictions of child abuse.
The WA government is keen to push through a bill to provide greater protection to child abuse victims.(abcnews)
That is on the list to be debated in the upper house this fortnight, and once passed will also give the state’s ombudsman oversight of how those organizations handle child abuse complaints and allow for independent investigations.
Another bill will provide greater protection for owner-drivers and other small businesses in the road freight sector, including minimum periods for contract termination.
Finally, there’s a bill to allow for the construction of a number of Metronet projects along the Armadale Line, including removing level crossings and raising tracks, and extending the line to Byford.
Metronet projects along the Armadale line will benefit from the proposed legislation.(Supplied: WA Government)
Opposition piles pressure on ministers
While that is what the government wants to focus on, the state opposition is keen to keep the pressure on a number of ministers who have been in the headlines for the wrong reasons over the winter break.
Among them is Alannah MacTiernan, who apologized after what she described as “clumsy” comments about foot and mouth disease, including that if it landed in WA it could make domestic milk and meat cheaper.
Then there is Mr Quigley, who had to correct evidence he gave in the defamation case between Mr McGowan and Queensland mining magnate Clive Palmer earlier this year.
It led to Justice Michael Lee describing Mr Quigley’s evidence as “all over the shop”, although he did make the point that “being a confused witness is a quite different thing from being a dishonest one”.
Justice Michael Lee described John Quigley’s evidence as “confused and confusing.”(ABC News: Eliza Laschon)
Even still, it prompted Deputy Liberal Leader Libby Mettam to yesterday label Mr Quigley a “lame duck.”
“But fair questions could be asked of other members and ministers in the McGowan government cabinet,” she said.
Opposition Leader Mia Davies also piled on the pressure.
Mia Davies says several WA ministers have fallen short of the public’s expectations in recent weeks.(ABC News: Keane Bourke)
“The Premier has an Attorney-General that is confused and confusing, an Agriculture Minister who has lost the confidence of the industry, a Health Minister that has overseen the highest ever ambulance ramping in the state, and a Housing Minister with no housing,” she said.
“It just doesn’t add up when you consider the strength of numbers Labor have in the parliament and the wealth the Premier has at his fingertips as Treasurer.”
Metronet ‘behind schedule and over budget’
Ms Davies said the opposition would also “maintain its focus on a Labor Government that is failing to deliver on promises made to the people of Western Australia”.
“Their major project, Metronet, is behind schedule and over budget, and the cracks are starting to emerge in cabinet as the emergency of COVID diminishes and the spin and rhetoric from the government starts to wear thin with the public,” she said.
But the opposition will also have to contend with its resources being pulled in multiple directions, as the North West Central by-election to replace former Nationals MP Vince Catania approaches.
Now that he has officially handed in his resignation, a date for the poll will be set — expected to be sometime in mid-September.
It creates a tricky situation, with both opposition parties competing for the same votes.
Long-serving Nationals MP Vince Catania has handed his resignation to the speaker of Western Australia’s Legislative Assembly, officially triggering the process of holding a by-election.
Key points:
Vince Catania announced his retirement two months ago
But the by-election process couldn’t start until he handed in his resignation
It creates an awkward situation for the Liberal-National alliance
It is expected the poll to replace him in the seat of North West Central will be held around the middle of next month, possibly on September 17.
A date will be formally decided when the WA parliament sits on Tuesday for the first time after its winter recess.
Both the Liberal and National parties have announced their candidates, but it is unclear whether Labor will contest the seat.
The long-serving Nationals MP announced his retirement nearly two months ago, saying he did not “have anything left in the tank.”
However, he did not officially resign at the time, as most politicians do, in a move described as “most unusual” by political commentator Peter Kennedy.
Vince Catania has held the seat since 2008.(ABC Pilbara: Laura Birch)
When asked about the delay, a spokesperson for the WA Nationals said it had always been Mr Catania’s plan to retire in early August.
“[He] continues to be committed to his role as the member for North West Central until this time,” the spokesperson said.
North West Central is WA’s geographically largest electorate, taking in towns such as Carnarvon, Coral Bay and Exmouth.
Mr Catania has held the seat since 2008, after initially being elected to the upper house in 2005.
The Nationals were the first to announce their candidate for the by-election, selecting local publican Merome Beard.
Merome Beard is the Nationals candidate for the seat of North West Central in WA. (Facebook: Merome Beard)
A post on Ms Beard’s Facebook page shows she will officially launch her campaign on Friday, in an event that will also be used to farewell Mr Catania.
Other posts show Mr Catania will join Ms Beard, who used to work in his office, at a number of “mobile office” meetings across the region.
A qualified urban and regional planner, Will Baston will stand as the Liberal Party’s candidate.
Will Baston has thrown his hat into the ring for the Liberals.(ABC News: Kate Ferguson)
He has also worked as a consultant on “conservation and economic development outcomes for outback and regional Western Australia”, according to the Liberal Party.
It is understood the Greens will also field a candidate, to be announced on Wednesday.
Awkward contest for opposition alliance
The by-election creates an awkward situation for the Liberal-National Alliance, with both sides having to compete for votes.
However, Deputy Liberal Leader Libby Mettam said yesterday that her party’s interest was “not in competing and fighting against the National Party.”
Libby Mettam says the Liberals are not trying to compete with the Nationals.(ABC NewsClaire Moodie)
“We will be leading and campaigning in support of Will Baston, our Liberal Party candidate, and we hope that either Will Baston or the Nationals candidate will be elected,” she said.
“Our position as the party representing all of Western Australia is to be giving people the option to vote for the Liberal Party and vote in a strong candidate, which is Will Baston.”
An even more awkward result would be if the Liberal Party won the seat, leaving both it and the Nationals with an equal number of members in the Legislative Assembly.
It is a situation understood to be unprecedented, with no clear way of deciding who becomes the Opposition Leader, leaving the parties to negotiate an outcome.
If that eventuated, the Liberals would likely have the upper hand, given they have more members in both houses of parliament than the Nationals.
However, that is an unlikely result, given the Liberal Party received just 7.9 per cent of first preference votes at the last election, compared to the Nationals’ 39.7 per cent.
The Nationals currently hold the seat on a slim margin of 1.7 per cent, or 259 votes.
Labor yet to show its hand
Labor is yet to announce whether they will field a candidate.
There is a sense though that there would be little purpose in the party doing so, given they already hold 53 of the 59 seats in the lower house.
Last month, Mr Kennedy said Labor could “stand back and let the Liberal Party and the National Party fight it out, and it won’t make any difference to the overall numbers in the Legislative Assembly”.
That is in addition to the fact by-elections are rarely won by incumbent parties, although the effect of Premier Mark McGowan’s popularity could work against that trend.
A Federal Court injunction that halted the construction of a contentious $1.25 billion highway in Western Australia’s south has been extended, as an environmental legal challenge gets underway.
Key points:
At $1.2 billion, the road is WA’s most expensive
A last minute environmental challenge has been mounted in court
A halt on construction has been extended as proceedings enter a second day
Bulldozers began clearing bushland for the final leg of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road last week but work suddenly stopped on Friday afternoon when a local environmental group mounted a legal challenge, and an injunction was enforced.
Opponents say the road’s environmental and social impact is too great, but both the state and federal governments say the risks can be managed.
In the first day of proceedings, Justice Craig Colvin heard arguments for and against Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s approval of the project in late June.
Justice Colvin ordered a pause on construction must remain until midday tomorrow as the case enters its second day.
Possum species ‘might vanish’
Lawyer Angel Aleksov, representing the Friends of the Gelorup Corridor group, put forward a series of legal arguments he said proved the ministerial approval of the project had been unlawful.
That included a claim that much of the environmental mitigation plan the project’s approval rested on would not occur until much later.
He said by that stage, it would be too late for animals such as the critically endangered western ringtail possum, which “might vanish from this earth.”
Western ringtail possums are only found in pockets of WA’s south west.(Supplied: GeoCatch )
Mr Aleksov claimed Main Roads WA was working on an assumption that 9,000 western ringtail possums remained in the region but that “Wikipedia” showed there could be as few as 3,000 possums left.
I have conceded delaying the project was costly but said the cost “does not outweigh risk to species that might leave this earth”.
It was revealed in court the project had already been delayed from April to August, at a cost of up to $10 million.
“There are large financial ramifications, but there are very, very large environmental consequences,” Mr Aleksov said.
Lawyers argue all procedures followed
Both the Solicitor General of WA, Joshua Thomson, and Commonwealth lawyer Emrys Nekvapil argued all procedures had been followed and every measure taken to mitigate environmental damage.
Mr Thomson argued the Friends of Gelorup Corridor’s legal argument was not strong enough to grant an injunction.
“If so…why was it overlooked until this time?” he said.
The northern section of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road largely passes through cleared farmland.(ABC South West: Anthony Pancia)
Mr Thomson said if the project was stalled now, it would have to be delayed another seven months, due to the western ringtail possums’ breeding patterns.
He said there were major benefits to the completion of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road, including separation of freight and local traffic and economic benefits to the entire region.
“This must be weighed against bringing [the project] to a shuddering halt for seven months,” he said.
He said three western ringtail possums had been found dead due to predation during the past weeks’ clearing.
A tree taped off within the Gelorup road reserve that is marked for clearing to make way for the highway.(ABC South West: Asha Couch)
Mr Thomson said there were very strong steps in place to project animals including fauna spotters on site and GPS collars tracking the locations of possums at all times.
Mr Emrys Nekvapil, acting for the Ms Plibersek’s office, said there was “not a serious question to be tried”.
He said the plan to ameliorate or mitigate the impact on the environment was completely orthodox.
Justice Craig Colvin ordered court resume at 9.30am WST on Tuesday.
Bunbury bypass ‘not Roe 8’
Opponents of the road had likened its construction through the Gelorup corridor to the aborted Roe 8 highway project in Perth.
Land clearing for the six-lane freeway through the Beeliar wetlands had well progressed in the lead-up to the 2017 WA election.
The McGowan government had campaigned on canceling the $1.9 billion project, which they did almost immediately after winning the election.
Amid a large amount of community opposition, the McGowan government campaigned on canceling the Roe Highway extension which traversed the Beeliar Wetlands.(Supplied: Main Roads WA)
But speaking ahead of today’s hearing, Premier Mark McGowan said it was an incorrect comparison to make.
“They’re very different projects. Roe 8 and Roe 9 weren’t really necessary because the port was going to fill,” Mr McGowan said.
“Whereas a road around Bunbury will just save many lives and ensure that people’s commute between the south west and the city is much more efficient and quick.”
Mark McGowan said his government was committed to building the road.(ABC News: James Carmody)
Mr McGowan defended the project’s environmental merits.
“Look, it’s been through two rounds of environmental approvals,” he said.
“We’ve done everything we can to ameliorate the environmental impacts by offsets and other plantings and fauna initiatives costing many millions of dollars.
“I understand people’s concerns. We just want to get on and complete this project.”
Concerns for community, environment
The southern section of the road, which involves the clearing of 71 hectares of native vegetation, has received full state and federal environmental approvals.
Clearing on the southern section of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road was stopped after five days due to the court injunction.(ABC South West: Anthony Pancia)
In May, Environment Minister Reece Whitby said it was clear the proposal would have a long-term impact on the local environment, and noted the “uncertainty” as to whether the Gelorup population of western ringtail possums could recover in 10 or 15 years.
“It is accepted that 72 [western ringtail possums] will be lost from the area due to the permanent loss of habitat,” he said.
He said that environmental offsets to counterbalance the loss of habitat would include acquisition of land and revegetating other areas, including in nearby state forest.
The road has garnered bitter debate in the south west, with locals expressing concern it will split the suburb of Gelorup in two.
Main Roads has long said that the chosen route has the least environmental impact, compared to other options.
An 11th hour Federal Court injunction has temporarily halted the construction of a contentious major highway project in Western Australia.
Key points:
The Bunbury Outer Ring Road is WA’s most expensive ever road project
Work to clear land for the road began this week, amid protests
But an 11th hour Federal Court injunction has temporarily halted work
Clearing of bushland to make way for the $1.25 billion Bunbury Outer Ring Road began this week to a chorus of backlash from local community members who say the highway will cause irreversible environmental damage.
The injunction issued late on Friday by the Federal Court of Australia prevents Main Roads and its contractors from conducting any more clearing work on the southern section of the road through the semi-rural community of Gelorup.
Clearing of the land, which sits on a 40-year-old road reserve, began on Monday following a visit to the site by former Greens leader Bob Brown.
Opponents had been campaigning for Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to reverse her decision to sign off on environmental approvals, paving the way for construction to begin.
The Bunbury Outer Ring Road has cleared all environmental hurdles at a state and federal level.
The court order is in place until a scheduled hearing on Monday afternoon.
The injunction does not prevent work from continuing on the northern section, which has been under construction for months.
Main Roads would not comment on the injunction, other than to confirm work at the site had stopped until the court hearing.
Dr Sue Chapman is the vice president of local action group Friends of Gelorup Corridor.(ABC South West: Sam Bold)
Sue Chapman — a local resident whose name is on the court application — said it was a big win for the community.
“We are just so relieved, it’s been the most traumatic week watching the beautiful trees, just simply bulldozed, and wood chipped immediately,” Dr Chapman said.
“To finally feel like there’s a sense of reprieve. It’s just been overwhelming.”
premier backs road
Earlier this week, Premier Mark McGowan said his government would be building the road and the route had been planned for decades.
“The Bunbury Outer Ring Road is designed to save lives and to reduce the pressure on traffic going through Bunbury,” Mr McGowan said.
“It’s been in the plans for the South West for [more than] 30 years. Whichever route you choose, there would be some clearing.
“It’s designed to make life much better for people in the South West. We’ve actually done Bussell Highway as well — which lots of people were dying on as well — in addition to that project.
“So look, that’s the plan. We actually got full environmental approval, the whole range of offsets, that’s replantings, preserving possum habitat and the like.”
A map of showing the route of the southern section of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road.(ABC South West: Asha Couch)
WA Police said there had been very little enforcement required to maintain order at the construction site, despite several protesters being removed for trespassing.
Since Monday when land clearing began, there have been five arrests for trespass, four move-on notices issued and one court summons.
Main Roads said it understood there were a lot of emotions at play, and the community had a right to peacefully protest.
But it said it would call police when people accessed the construction site without authorization and put workers’ safety at risk.
Construction of the northern section of the road is well underway.(Supplied: Nearmap)
A WA Police spokesperson says “engagement has been very positive between protesters and police, including those who have removed themselves from machinery or trees when requested.
“We support any person who wants to protest as long as it is done lawfully and in an orderly manner.”
Women are participating in the workforce at a higher rate than ever before in Western Australia but they still face the biggest gender pay gap in the country, a report has found.
Key points:
The report says female participation in the WA workforce is at 64.5 per cent
But the gender pay gap is still 7.5 per cent higher than the national figure
Reports of violent and sexual assaults by family members have increased
The WA government’s 2022 Women’s Report Card — which measures the health, safety, economic independence and leadership opportunities of the state’s women — says female participation in the workforce is the highest it has ever been.
The report shows female participation in the workforce has reached 64.5 per cent, a rise of more than 3 per cent since 2007.
Among these working women, just over 50 per cent are employed full-time, compared with 82.6 per cent of men.
Female participation in the WA workforce is up to more than 64 per cent, the report says.(ABC News: Cason Ho)
The report also reveals changing attitudes on gender roles.
Almost 50 per cent of men in 2005 agreed with the statement “mothers who do not really need the money shouldn’t work”.
That number fell to 27 per cent in 2019.
More unpaid work and caring, less super
But unpaid work and caring responsibilities continue to be primarily done by women.
Almost 26 per cent of women in WA provided unpaid childcare work in 2020, compared to 15.4 per cent of men.
Almost 50 per cent of women with children are more likely to work part-time compared to just 7.8 per cent of men.
Caring responsibilities in WA continue to be mainly done by women, the report shows.(ABC News: Kenith Png)
The report found the gender pay gap for full-time workers fell from almost 27 per cent in 2007 to just over 21 per cent last year.
But that is still 7.5 per cent higher than the national level.
The report also found women have an overall average of 50 per cent less superannuation than men, while 22 per cent of women aged between 55 and 65 have no superannuation at all, compared to 9 per cent of their male counterparts.
Gap widens in motherhood
The report card found women make up nearly 60 per cent of university graduates and have exceeded their male counterparts in obtaining degrees since 1985.
But Women’s Report Card researcher Silvia Salazar said that motherhood is when the gender gap really widens.
Silvia Salazaar says maternity leave is still holding women back from earning salaries equal to their male counterparts.(Supplied)
“We expect that if women are more educated, then naturally, we will earn more money, and we have more leadership positions, but this is not what we are actually seeing,” she said.
Dr Salazar said that it was partly due to the knock-on effects of maternity leave.
“At the beginning, there is still a gap in graduates, but there is not so much in terms of the pay gap,” she said.
“But once women have children, this is where the gap really widens.
“It’s not only about getting women into these high-paying jobs, but also making sure that they have the possibilities to evolve in leadership roles, and then get higher wages.”
Resources industry part of problem and solution
WA Women’s Interests Minister Simone McGurk says while the report did highlight some improvements to the wellbeing of West Australian women, there is still a long way to go.
Simone McGurk says the resources industry provides an opportunity to bridge the gender pay gap. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
“We’ve had the largest gender pay gap in the country for a number of years and that really does need to change,” she said.
“That means attracting more women into high paid industries, like the resources sector, for instance, and also starting to do what we can to lift women’s wages in the service sector in retail and other areas where they dominate.”
While Ms McGurk pointed to WA’s strong resources sector as a possible solution to bridge the gap, she also used it to explain the cause of the issue.
“I think the most obvious [reason] is the concentration of such high paid industries in the resources sector, mining, and oil and gas.”
The typically male-dominated fly-in, fly-out industry has been in the spotlight lately amid reports of sexual harassment and assaults on and off site.
Ms McGurk said it was imperative the industry was both a “safe” and “attractive” one for women to work in.
Looking at the positive findings in the report card, Ms McGurk said there was hope for change.
“I think the other thing that we learned from the report card is we see where there’s an effort, where there’s determined action and clear commitment to change, we do start to see results,” she said.
Rise in reported family assaults
Meanwhile, another measure that excludes Victoria and Queensland due to a lack of data, shows how in 2021 about 1.25 per cent of WA women reported being violently assaulted by a family member.
The rate has risen in the past three years.
Reported sexual assaults by a family member also rose over the same period.
The report said these numbers raised concerns about how COVID-19 restrictions may have impacted women’s safety.
Women made up 85 per cent of adult victims who reported breaches of violence restraining orders in 2020 and 2021.
In the same period, the number of reported sexual assaults rose to 953, 20 per cent higher than the prior two years.
Only 16.1 per cent of sexual assault investigations in WA resulted in charges being laid.
Residents opposed to a major highway being built through a community in WA’s South West have protested as bulldozers move in, with police intervening as people tried to block machinery.
Key points:
Protesters have disrupted the first day of clearing at the Bunbury Outer Ring Road
Former Greens leader Bob Brown rallied at the site, calling for work to be halted
The $1.25 billion Bunbury Outer Ring Road is WA’s most expensive ever highway
The $1.25 billion Bunbury Outer Ring Road will take traffic around WA’s second-biggest city to create a more direct route between Perth and the Margaret River tourist region.
After a lengthy environmental approvals process, fences were this month erected around a decades-old road reserve cutting through the semi-rural community of Gelorup.
More than 300 people gathered on Sunday afternoon to protest the road going through their suburb, which they say will devastate the local environment.
People protest the construction of the southern section of the road through their semi-rural community.(ABC South West: Ellie Honeybone)
This morning, bulldozers and excavators were on stand-by, with about 20 people turning up in the middle of a severe weather warning to protest.
At least one person was issued a move-on notice by police after refusing to move out of the way of machinery.
Bob Brown calls for road rethink
Former Greens leader Bob Brown addressed the crowd gathered on Sunday, calling for federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to reverse her decision to clear the 200 hectares of woodlands.
Bob Brown urged construction work to be halted.(ABC South West: Sam Bold)
“This is an absolute utter disgrace if this goes ahead,” Mr Brown said.
“There’s alternatives, there’s open cleared areas where the proposed road could go but there’s no alternative to this woodland for these rare creatures that live in it.”
Mr Brown drew a link between the Minister’s National Press Club speech in which she detailed the degradation of Australia’s natural environment, due in part to sustained land clearing.
More western ringtail possums were surveyed in the road reserve than originally thought.(ABC South West: Sam Bold)
“You’re off to a bad start … and if you don’t get this right, if you don’t turn this around — like the possums in the way of the bulldozers — you won’t recover.”
WA’s Main Roads agency had considered an alternative route that would take the highway around Gelorup.
An environmental impact assessment found that while the original route would have a higher impact on the western ringtail possum, the alternative option would significantly impact on wetlands and endangered aquatic fauna.
Residents have vowed to keep fighting as the excavators move in.(ABC South West: Sam Bold)
Ms Plibersek said in a statement her approval required Main Roads to show it could “protect matters of national environmental significance” and “minimise the impacts of habitat fragmentation.”
She said an environmental offset strategy was also being prepared.
‘Rigorous’ environmental approvals
Main Roads WA has been bound by a strict set of environmental conditions to minimize impacts on the local flora and fauna — including the endangered Carnaby’s black cockatoo and western ringtail possum.
The road corridor has been preserved for more than 40 years and contains dense bushland.(ABC South West: Anthony Pancia)
A Department of Environment spokesperson described the process as “rigorous”.
The road being built is a significantly reduced version of the freeway-standard route initially planned.
A total of $852 million was budgeted for the Bunbury Outer Ring Road when it was announced in 2019, however, it was revealed earlier this year that figure had blown out to $1.25 billion.
A kangaroo within the road reserve set to be cleared over the next few weeks.(ABC South West: Asha Couch)
Despite that, four bridges that would have carried traffic over existing major roads have been abolished from the plans in order to save money in the face of rising construction and material costs.
It meant a promised 15-minute time-saving on the journey around Bunbury had been abandoned, as had the promise of a free-flowing freeway, with motorists instead having to negotiate roundabouts at key intersections.
Fences were installed around the road reserve in the past week.(ABC South West: Anthony Pancia)
Further cash injections had also not been ruled out, with the WA government’s upper house leader Sue Ellery telling parliament in May that additional funding would be sought if it were needed to deliver the project.
Main Roads said the road is set to be completed and opened to traffic by late 2024.
Construction is already well advanced on the northern section of the road.(Supplied: Nearmap)
Residents opposed to a major highway being built through a community in WA’s South West have protested as bulldozers move in, with police intervening as people tried to block machinery.
Key points:
Protesters have disrupted the first day of clearing at the Bunbury Outer Ring Road
Former Greens leader Bob Brown rallied at the site, calling for work to be halted
The $1.25 billion Bunbury Outer Ring Road is WA’s most expensive ever highway
The $1.25 billion Bunbury Outer Ring Road will take traffic around WA’s second-biggest city to create a more direct route between Perth and the Margaret River tourist region.
After a lengthy environmental approvals process, fences were this month erected around a decades-old road reserve cutting through the semi-rural community of Gelorup.
More than 300 people gathered on Sunday afternoon to protest the road going through their suburb, which they say will devastate the local environment.
People protest the construction of the southern section of the road through their semi-rural community.(ABC South West: Ellie Honeybone)
This morning, bulldozers and excavators were on stand-by, with about 20 people turning up in the middle of a severe weather warning to protest.
At least one person was issued a move-on notice by police after refusing to move out of the way of machinery.
Bob Brown calls for road rethink
Former Greens leader Bob Brown addressed the crowd gathered on Sunday, calling for federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to reverse her decision to clear the 200 hectares of woodlands.
Bob Brown urged construction work to be halted.(ABC South West: Sam Bold)
“This is an absolute utter disgrace if this goes ahead,” Mr Brown said.
“There’s alternatives, there’s open cleared areas where the proposed road could go but there’s no alternative to this woodland for these rare creatures that live in it.”
Mr Brown drew a link between the Minister’s National Press Club speech in which she detailed the degradation of Australia’s natural environment, due in part to sustained land clearing.
More western ringtail possums were surveyed in the road reserve than originally thought.(ABC South West: Sam Bold)
“You’re off to a bad start … and if you don’t get this right, if you don’t turn this around — like the possums in the way of the bulldozers — you won’t recover.”
WA’s Main Roads agency had considered an alternative route that would take the highway around Gelorup.
An environmental impact assessment found that while the original route would have a higher impact on the western ringtail possum, the alternative option would significantly impact on wetlands and endangered aquatic fauna.
Residents have vowed to keep fighting as the excavators move in.(ABC South West: Sam Bold)
Ms Plibersek said in a statement her approval required Main Roads to show it could “protect matters of national environmental significance” and “minimise the impacts of habitat fragmentation.”
She said an environmental offset strategy was also being prepared.
‘Rigorous’ environmental approvals
Main Roads WA has been bound by a strict set of environmental conditions to minimize impacts on the local flora and fauna — including the endangered Carnaby’s black cockatoo and western ringtail possum.
The road corridor has been preserved for more than 40 years and contains dense bushland.(ABC South West: Anthony Pancia)
A Department of Environment spokesperson described the process as “rigorous”.
The road being built is a significantly reduced version of the freeway-standard route initially planned.
A total of $852 million was budgeted for the Bunbury Outer Ring Road when it was announced in 2019, however, it was revealed earlier this year that figure had blown out to $1.25 billion.
A kangaroo within the road reserve set to be cleared over the next few weeks.(ABC South West: Asha Couch)
Despite that, four bridges that would have carried traffic over existing major roads have been abolished from the plans in order to save money in the face of rising construction and material costs.
It meant a promised 15-minute time-saving on the journey around Bunbury had been abandoned, as had the promise of a free-flowing freeway, with motorists instead having to negotiate roundabouts at key intersections.
Fences were installed around the road reserve in the past week.(ABC South West: Anthony Pancia)
Further cash injections had also not been ruled out, with the WA government’s upper house leader Sue Ellery telling parliament in May that additional funding would be sought if it were needed to deliver the project.
Main Roads said the road is set to be completed and opened to traffic by late 2024.
Construction is already well advanced on the northern section of the road.(Supplied: Nearmap)
