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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 220 asked in the Legislative Council on 20 March 2019 by Hon Aaron Stonehouse

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

SWAN VALLEY RURAL ZONE — LOCAL PLANNING SCHEME AMENDMENT —PREMIER'S COMMENTS

220. Hon AARON STONEHOUSE to the Leader of the House representing the Premier:

As we celebrate our cultural diversity during Harmony Week, the catchphrase of which is that everyone belongs, I refer the Premier to his comments, as published in The West Australian of 8 March 2019, in support of the City of Swan's attempt to ban the building of places of worship in the Swan Valley.

(1) Does the Premier stand by his comment that it is ''not unusual'' for councils to introduce this sort of ban?

(2) Does he consider the ''uniqueness'' and ''tourism attraction'' of a particular area outweighs the religious freedom of its residents to build places of worship as needed, or does he believe that our citizens, regardless of their religion, have a right to worship together in buildings dedicated to that purpose?

(3) What correspondence, if any, has the Premier, or his staff, had with the City of Swan, its councillors or residents on this important cultural issue?

The PRESIDENT: Leader of the House, before you respond to that, I think the first three parts of the question are seeking an opinion, and are therefore in breach of standing order 105, which you are very aware of. The last part is an actual question that you might be able to respond to.

Hon SUE ELLERY replied:

Thank you, Madam President. I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. I note that, on the answer I have been given, none of the preamble appears, but the rest of the question is the same, and I can provide this response.

(1)–(3) The Premier was asked two questions around the City of Swan's decision to limit development of particular establishments, including places of worship, taverns and roadhouses, within a defined tourist area. The Premier accurately noted that limiting types of development through local planning policies is common practice for local governments. The Premier also noted that the Swan Valley is a special place and one of Western Australia's premier tourist attractions. The Premier has had no correspondence from the City of Swan regarding this issue.