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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 894 asked in the Legislative Council on 12 October 2022 by Hon Colin De Grussa

Parliament: 41 Session: 1

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE

894. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the minister representing the Minister for Tourism:

I refer to the funding allocated by the McGowan government to support towns in the Pilbara, Gascoyne, Murchison, Kimberley and midwest regions for the upcoming total solar eclipse event in April 2023.

(1) Will the minister please table a list of legacy projects in each town to which funding has been provided, detailing whether the projects are capital infrastructure projects, social events or capacity-building projects through workforce or cultural development?

(2) What funding is being provided to capacity building within local organisations in each of the affected towns?

(3) Will the minister meet directly with local governments to discuss concerns about the capacity of the towns to accommodate the expected influx of tourists and media?

Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:

I thank the member for the question. I am sure he shares our excitement about this fantastic opportunity for regional Western Australia. The following information has been provided by the Minister for Tourism.

(1) We are providing $21.1 million in funding for the total solar eclipse, including the following commitments: $8.2 million to Main Roads Western Australia for road infrastructure in line with previous experience in managing large volumes of event traffic; $5.4 million to the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to increase the capacity of the region's telecommunications infrastructure; $6.4 million to the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation for event management; and $1.1 million to the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions for event and waste management costs.

(2) A total of $1 641 500 has been approved to go to local shires through financial assistance agreements being managed by JTSI. This is part of the overall event management listed above. In addition, a local capability fund round has been released to regional businesses that will be affected by the total solar eclipse to address increased demand concerns and build capacity for the event.

(3) The Minister for Tourism will soon visit the region to meet with key stakeholders regarding the total solar eclipse.