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.