Parliamentary Questions

(a) how many times has the advisory group for the management of straying livestock in pastoral regions met since its inception in 2012;
(b) are minutes of the meetings kept and, if so, will the Minister table them;
(c) if no to (b), why not;
(d) will the Minister provide a list of past and current members of the advisory group for the management of straying livestock in pastoral regions;
(e) if no to (d), why not;
(f) what have been the outcomes of the advisory group for the management of straying livestock in pastoral regions in terms of controlling straying stock;
(g) since November 2014, how many cattle, in total and per annum, were removed or moved from the Great Northern Highway between Derby and Broome, and from the Derby Road and the Broome Road, during the last five years, and in particular:
(i) how many of these cattle were dead and how many were alive;
(ii) were ear tags taken/recorded or brands recorded and, if not, why not;
(iii) who did the cattle belong to, and where and how were they disposed of;
(iv) who paid for the movement, removal and/or disposal of the cattle and what was the cost;
(v) how many vehicles were damaged as a result of colliding with, or trying to avoid collision with cattle on the roads; and
(vi) how many people were injured as a result of colliding with, or trying to avoid collision with cattle on the roads;
(h) since the asking of question without notice No. 1350 there has been no marked reduction in straying stock observed on Great Northern Highway, including the road between Derby and Broome, will the Minister advise why;
(i) if no to (h), why not;
(j) how many crashes involving cattle have been reported on the Great Northern Highway, including the road between Derby and Broome for the period from November 2014 to present day;
(k) is Main Roads the responsible agency for monitoring stock on main roads, and if yes:
(i) how is this done;
(ii) what does Main Roads do to remove the straying stock; and
(iii) how many times a week or month are these roads individually monitored;
(l) if no to (k), which agency performs these tasks, and:
(i) how is this done;
(ii) how is straying stock removed; and
(iii) how many times a week or month are these roads individually monitored;
(m) how many times has Main Roads taken the appropriate action pursuant to section 275 of the Road Traffic Code 2000 to prosecute the offence for a person in charge of livestock allowing livestock to stray onto a road;
(n) if none to (m), why not;
(o) Main Roads allocated $12m from 2013-14 to 2016-17 budgets on a number of projects, will the Minister itemise how the money was spent;
(p) if no to (o), why not; and
(q) how much money has Main Roads expended annually since November 2014 on its 50 percent cost sharing requirement to the cost of installing new fences along the Great Northern Highway, where there has been no previous fencing, and:
(i) will the Minister provide a breakdown of property and location;
(ii) if no to (q) (i), why not; and
(iii) if no money has been expended, why not?
Answered on 10 April 2018

(a) The Pastoral Fencing Advisory Group met at least eight times since its inception. The last meeting was held on 6 July 2015.

(b) [See tabled paper no.]

(c) Not applicable

(d) The Pastoral Fencing Advisory Group comprised of Main Roads, Pastoral Lands Board members, the Pastoralists & Graziers Association and various State and local governments. Its members at various points included:

• Kylie Meakins - Department of Regional Development
• Mal Shervill and Malcolm Edwards - Western Australian Local Government Association
• Ian Randles, Rob Gillam, David Steadman and Joe De Pledge - Pastoralists & Graziers Association
• Peter Hall and Noel Ashcroft - Agricultural Representatives
• Anne Still – RAC
• Kelly Gillen - Department of Environment and Conservation; Department of Parks and Wildlife
• Leanne Corker - Pastoral Lands Board
• Graham Short - Association of Mining and Exploration Companies
• Mohammad Siddiqui, Murray Robinson, Maurice Cammack, Peter Sewell and Megan Holding - Main Roads
• Michael Buba - Office of the Minister for Transport
• Jon Gibson - Office of Road Safety
• Phill Cribb and Peter Curran - Fire and Emergency Services Authority
• Doug Brownlie - Pastoralist & Graziers Association
• Linley Crackel - Road Safety Commission

(f) Outcomes implemented by the Pastoral Fencing Advisory Group include:

• Installing grids on road reserve fence-lines
• Moving watering points further back from the road-side to prevent cattle straying on to the road;
• Installing one way cattle gates
• Retro-reflective ear-tagging of cattle trials
• Improving Livestock Warning Signage and fencing standards along road reserves
• Funding replacement fencing where it is deemed a "hot spot"; and
• Radio safety campaigns aired throughout Regional WA during school holiday periods.

(i) All deceased.

(ii) Where tags were present, details were recorded. Brands were not recorded.

(iii) Cattle were identified according to their Station ear tags, where present. Cattle were moved well off the road/shoulder and buried on adjacent property, where possible.

(iv) Work was completed by Main Roads' maintenance crews and funded through Main Roads' maintenance budget.

(v)-(vi) Crash statistics from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2016 indicate 25 crashes involving animals along Broome Highway, Derby Highway and Great Northern Highway between the Broome and Derby turn-off. Twenty four of these were property damage only and one of these crashed required hospitalisation.

(h)-(i) Main Roads does not maintain records regarding the number of straying stock observed on Great Northern Highway, including on the road between Derby and Broome. In this regard, the agency is not in a position to be able to definitively advise why there has or has not been a marked reduction in straying stock on this section of road.

(j) Between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2016, there were 14 reported crashes involving cattle on the Great Northern Highway between Derby and Broome.

(k)-(l) Pastoralists are responsible for monitoring their own stock whether it is on their Stations or on main roads and, as per the Road Traffic Code, they are responsible for not allowing their stock to stray on any roads or allowing it to remain there. Also under the code, WA Police and the local government are the only third parties permitted to remove the stock from the road.

(m) None

(n) The Road Traffic Code is enforced by WA Police.

(o) As of January 2018, funds have been approved for 20 separate projects, totalling $10.75 million. Twelve of the 20 projects (comprising fencing, sight distance clearing, signs and advertising) have been completed to date, totalling approximately $5.74 million. These include:

• Fencing at known hotspots along Victoria Highway (Kimberley)
• Installation of a grid on Valentine Spring Road (Kimberley)
• Fencing at known hotspots along Great Northern Highway (Mid-West Gascoyne)
• Installation of warning signs along Goldfields Highway and Leonora Laverton Road (Goldfields Esperance)
• Fencing at three stations along Marble Bar Road (Pilbara)
• Fencing at known hot spots along Great Northern Highway (Pilbara)
• Fencing at known hot spots at Goldfields Highway (Goldfields Esperance)

(p) Not applicable

(q) Since 2014, Main Roads has expended $458,000 on the Great Northern and Derby Highways for fencing. An additional $385,000 is currently programmed for expenditure in future years.

(i)

(ii)-(iii) Not applicable