BUNBURY OUTER RING ROAD — ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
590. Hon
Dr BRAD PETTITT to the Leader of the House representing the Minister for
Transport:
I refer to the clearing undertaken
thus far for the Bunbury Outer Ring Road southern section and the daily reports
provided.
(1) Has there
been any capture, injury or death of any western ringtail possums or other
wildlife species since clearing of the southern section began?
(2) If yes to
(1), please list the captures, injuries and/or mortalities that have been
recorded and when they occurred.
(3) Can the minister guarantee that no threatened or
priority fauna will be injured or killed as a result of the project?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1)–(3) The
Bunbury Outer Ring Road project has been subject to rigorous independent
environmental assessments, which were validated today by the Federal Court. A
number of possums have been captured and released into adjacent habitat, in
accordance with the conditions of the environmental approval.
The
McGowan government is committed to delivering this critical infrastructure
project, while minimising the impact on flora and fauna through a significant
offset package, including acquiring and revegetating large portions of land,
which will be set aside for permanent protection as future wildlife habitat.