What will be left of WA if Barnett keeps selling it off?

Photo credit: Protect the Kimberley Facebook group, part of the Like Nowhere Else campaign

I’ve had a rant here before about WA Premier Colin Barnett’s quarry vision. It won’t surprise anyone to find out that he’s still trying to sell off every inch of the state to multinational companies.

• WA Government partners with Monsanto – never mind that the evidence shows that GM crops provide more corporate control for very little benefit to farmers, we’re letting our state cereal breeding company be controlled by a multinational company with a long list of environmental and legal breaches.
• WA Government compulsorily acquiring Aboriginal land for a gas hub near Broome – because a Woodside gas hub is what every tourist city needs to attract more visitors! I’m sure that the endangered humpback whales just off the coast will enjoy the extra shipping traffic through their breeding grounds. What’s worse is that there are existing facilities in the Pilbara that could be used instead. Why does Barnett insist on this Kimberley land grab?
• We’ve already talked about the proposed oil drilling off the coast of tourist town Margaret River in a nearly-approved marine sanctuary. But that wasn’t enough – now the government is giving approval for a coal mine  just 15 km from the town centre. There are dozens of world-class wineries there, as well as those providing domestic wine, farmland and tourism jobs.
• And meanwhile, at Barrow Island, the Shell/Exxon/Chevron group found it too hard to stop killing endangered animals which live there, so they moved the small mammals to a different island (that’s got radioactive contamination). Although they haven’t figured out how to stop killing the endangered turtles yet.

Honestly, does Barnett not understand the value of tourism or farming? Did he have a horrible childhood experience in a vineyard or something? Was he menaced by a gang of numbats and potoroos?

Gilbert's potoroo: not very menacing

I’m so disgusted with this government. They pay no attention to the real issues facing us in WA, and can only focus on selling resources. They’re supposed to be managing our health and education and police force and emergency services – instead they’re acting like an auctioneer, selling everything that’s not nailed down to the highest bidder.

It’s turning WA into a plutocracy, and we’ve still got a couple of years before we get another election. It’s not like Barnett had any sort of mandate from the last one – the Liberals had to form a minority government with the support of the Nationals and an Independent, and we were all a bit surprised they managed it.

But that’s enough whining. Action is the antidote to despair. I’ve been writing letters to the relevant ministers; there are protests down south against the oil and coal; there are groups working on a fair go for the people up north. If you live in WA, or have visited and loved these regions, check these groups out and give them a hand – they could do with as much support as they can get.

• Like Nowhere Else is a campaign to help the Kimberley region.
• WA Forest Alliance is working to stop native forest logging in the South-West.
• Save Our Marine Life is making good progress towards getting marine sanctuaries around WA and SA.
• Conservation Council of WA and the Wilderness Society cover as many WA issues as they can with the people they’ve got.

If you know of any more active conservation groups in WA, please let me know in the comments.

Troy Buswell MLA (our chair-sniffing ex-treasurer) is at least opposing the coal in Margaret River, since that’s happening in his seat (ahaha) of Vasse. I’d trust him about as far as I could throw him, and I wonder why the oil drilling is ok with him. But it does show that politicians will take things seriously if there’s enough public outcry.