14 December 2017

Shark mitigation report fails WA

WA Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds has expressed disappointment that the Senate Inquiry into shark mitigation and deterrent measures failed to produce a clear plan to address the increasing shark attacks in WA and protect the coastal lifestyle of Western Australians.

“15 people have been killed by sharks since 2000, compared to just 3 in the 17 years prior to that, but the Greens-led committee only made one recommendation relating to WA, and it was focused on entirely on personal deterrent devices,” Senator Reynolds said.

“There is nothing wrong with investing in personal deterrent devices or replacing drumlines with SMART drumlines in New South Wales and Queensland, but the point I have consistently made throughout this inquiry is that we need to look at a suite of measures to mitigate against shark attacks because there is no single solution.

“Most importantly, we need to place human lives ahead of political ideology otherwise tragedies will continue on WA beaches and off our coast.”

Senator Reynolds said Coalition Senators raised these concerns in their additional comments in the report.

“We raised the point that evidence provided to the committee was largely related to the mitigation measures adopted in Queensland and NSW, such as shark nets and drumlines, which sadly the Western Australian government is yet to implement, due to pressure placed on them by environmental ideologues,” Senator Reynolds said.

“Just one death has been recorded across the 85 protected beaches in NSW and Queensland in the last 50 years. Despite this, the Greens-led inquiry insisted that nets and drumlines didn’t make beaches safe.

“I am not advocating for a shark cull and I know we cannot prevent all attacks, but we can, and should, take more comprehensive measures to mitigate attacks to ensure the safety of Western Australians on our beaches.”

Media Contact: Amy Blom 08 9477 5411, 0431 685 372 or amy.blom@aph.gov.au