Question On Notice No. 2924 asked in the Legislative Council on 16 April 2020 by Hon Robin Chapple
Question Directed to the: Minister for Regional Development representing the Minister for Tourism
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
Question
I refer to the historic Pilbara town of Cossack, the 2017 WA Labor document 'Plan for the Pilbara', and the City of Karratha's Local Planning Scheme No. 8, Amendment No. 44, relating to developments in the town, and I ask:
(a) how much of the 425 million dollars, committed under the Government's 'Plan for the Pilbara', has been budgeted solely for Cossack town:
(i) of
the amount in (a), budgeted for Cossack, how much has been spent to date; and
(ii) would
the Minister please table the budget for Cossack, referred to in (a):
(A) if no to (a)(ii), why not; and
(b) would the Minister give comment on the Government's plan for Cossack town, in regards to recreational, tourism, or heritage opportunities; and
(c) has the Department liaised with local Indigenous representatives to discuss the future of Cossack:
(i) if yes to (c), which group or persons did the Department contact; and
(ii) if yes to (c), can the Minister advise of the outcomes?
Answered on 10 June 2020
(a)(i-ii) Following delivery of the Government’s election commitment of $425 million over five years for destination marketing and event tourism from 2017-18, Tourism WA had a marketing budget of $45 million and $40 million for event tourism per annum.
Tourism WA’s focus is on attracting interstate and international visitors to WA, and it promotes the broader Pilbara region in those markets as part of the North West experience, as well as experiences such as road trips and outback adventure. Tourism WA has included Cossack in trade familiarisation visits within the Pilbara region, however, there is no specific budget allocation for the town.
Tourism WA funds the five regional tourism organisations (RTO) to undertake intrastate marketing, with the Australia’s North West RTO responsible for marketing the Pilbara and Kimberley regions including towns such as Cossack.
The Australia’s North West RTO has included Cossack in its regional promotions and campaigns such as the Epic Pilbara Campaign. It also funded the filming of a story on Cossack for the “Destination WA” television series and has widely promoted the Cossack Art Awards.
(b) The State Government continues to work closely with the City of Karratha to progress future planning and use of the township, with funding available for ongoing heritage maintenance at the townsite.
(c) Tourism WA has not.
(c)(i-ii) Not applicable.