Question Without Notice No. 562 asked in the Legislative Council on 14 August 2018 by Hon Jim Chown
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
SHARKS — HAZARD MITIGATION
562. Hon JIM CHOWN to the minister representing the Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to the decision to trial SMART drum lines off the Western Australian coastline and comments from the minister in today's The West Australian regarding our Chief Scientist Peter Klinken, and I quote —
''Dr Klinken will be conducting an independent scientific analysis of the trial and the McGowan Government's world-first personal shark deterrent subsidy.''
(1) (a) Why is the Chief Scientist analysing the efficacy of the personal shark deterrent now when taxpayer funds have already been committed over a protracted period for this commercial product?
(b) Have any concerns been raised with the minister or Chief Scientist regarding the personal shark deterrent device?
(c) Does the personal shark deterrent device meet Australian standards?
(2) What new evidence has come to light since the May protest—when, on the steps of Parliament, the minister stated that SMART drum lines are too expensive and not scientifically proven—that has facilitated the McGowan government's backflip on this issue?
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the question.
(1) (a) The personal shark deterrents that qualify for the WA government subsidy have been independently tested by university researchers and shown to be effective at deterring white sharks. The review by the Chief Scientist will provide an analysis of the effectiveness of the personal shark deterrents subsidy program.
(b) No.
(c) No Australian Standard is in place for electronic shark deterrents.
(2) I do not accept the member's representation of the Minister for Fisheries' comments. The government has consistently stated that it is open to any shark mitigation measure that is backed by scientific evidence. The government has requested the New South Wales government provide the data from its SMART drum line trial so its effectiveness as a shark hazard mitigation tool can be assessed. However, the information provided by the New South Wales government was incomplete. For this reason, the government has made the decision to conduct a trial that will be the subject of independent scientific analysis.