DUST
MANAGEMENT — BUYBACK SCHEME — PORT HEDLAND
165. Hon NEIL THOMSON to the Leader of the House
representing the Minister for Ports:
I refer to the
compensation scheme for home owners of Port Hedland's dust-affected
West End.
Why does the state use a fixed price
on which to base its compensation when the normal approach would be to use an
unencumbered existing valuation plus, where appropriate, a solatium to
compensate landowners when it seeks to acquire those properties, either
voluntarily or compulsorily?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question.
The
Port Hedland voluntary buyback scheme is not a compensation scheme, nor is it
designed to provide compensation for changes in market value that have
occurred over time. The PHVBS is to provide a voluntary option for owners of
residential dwellings within the area of land between Taplin Street and the
port in the West End of Port Hedland to
secure a guaranteed settlement price following the introduction of rezoning
related to the Port Hedland West End Improvement Scheme No 1—IS1.
Participation in this scheme is voluntary.
The valuation date was set as 6
August 2019, as it was when the Minister for Regional Development first
publicly indicated that the state government
would consider how an industry-funded PHVBS could operate. The 6 August 2019
date for valuation was accepted after
investigations found there was no other date that would distinguish the West
End from the east end of Port Hedland and other Pilbara locations.
The
PHVBS offer is not a fixed price. At the time the offer is made, eligible
residential property owners will be offered a settlement price calculated as
follows: the agreed market value of the property as at 6 August 2019 indexed, a
premium of 35 per cent of the agreed market value and an amount of up to $20 000
for verifiable transaction costs.