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ABC News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
WA government stands firm in dispute over Margaret River Pro cultural heritage site
The Western Australian government is standing by its approval for a cultural heritage site to be used as overflow parking at the state's biggest surfing competition, the Margaret River Pro. Representatives of Indigenous organisation Karri Karrak said they had not given the government or the World Surf League (WSL) permission to use the site, in WA's South West region. The world's best surfers are in Margaret River, 275 kilometres south of Perth, for the WSL tournament. WA Aboriginal Affairs Minister Don Punch said he had been advised all processes and approvals were followed, including Aboriginal heritage approvals. "I'm also advised that traditional owners from the local area were consulted by World Surfing League and full support was provided by the Undalup Association for the proposed use, in line with their support for the event in previous years," he said. The Karri Karrak Aboriginal Corporation represents more than 600 Wardandi, Piblemen and Kaneang people in southern WA and was established as part of the South West Native Title process. The association's chief executive, Stephen Van Leeuwin, said the government and WSL were repeatedly told of opposition to the use of the site ahead of the surfing event. "We feel like we've been ignored and not consulted regarding approvals to impact on a heritage site or a number of heritage sites in the Margaret River area," Mr Van Leeuwin said. A year ago, Surfing Western Australia issued a formal apology to Karri Karrak Aboriginal Corporation for what it agreed was an "unauthorised use" of an Aboriginal heritage site. 'We extend our deepest apologies to the Karri Karrak Aboriginal Corporation and its members for any distress or inconvenience caused by our actions,' the organisers said at the time. It committed to rectifying the situation and 'preventing similar occurrences in the future'. Mr Leeuwin said the apology seemed genuine but the same issue had arisen again. "We made our concerns clear. Well, we felt it was clear," he said. "But the World Surf League, with endorsement from government, has just repeated what happened last time without any due regard for the heritage values." The WSL said it received all necessary permits and approval for all heritage sites as advised by the state government. The Undalup Association is based in Busselton and Margaret River, with the main aim of educating and sharing the cultural traditions and history of the Wadandi people. The association hosts events including Bunuru Festival, which celebrates the changing of seasons. Margaret River Pro organisers engage with the Undalup Asssociation over surf contest's opening ceremony, which includes a welcome to country.
West Australian
20-05-2025
- General
- West Australian
Major step in South West water monitoring project gives farmers firsthand access to real-time water info
A major step in a South West water monitoring project is giving farmers firsthand access to real-time water information. Growers and community members in the Manjimup-Pemberton area can now access the Record Brook gauging station's up-to-date data after key upgrades to water monitoring infrastructure. The Record Brook upgrade is the first initiative to be delivered under the $2 million Warren-Donnelly Streamflow Monitoring Improvement Project aiming to significantly enhance the quality and availability of water monitoring information across the region. The project is part of a $15.3m State Government package aiming to strengthen water security and monitoring in the Manjimup-Pemberton area. In a report by the Southern Forests Irrigation Reference Group, improving streamflow monitoring was a key recommendation alongside a need for better data to understand the impacts of climate and forest management on regional river flows. Live streamflow and river height data from Record Brook can now be publicly accessed from Department of Water and Environmental Regulation's River Monitoring Stations website. Water, Climate Resilience and South West Minister Don Punch said the development was a step forward for water monitoring in the region. 'This will help local growers adapt to climate change and give everyone a better understanding of how water flows in the area,' he said. 'With real-time data available online, the community has greater transparency and confidence in how water is being measured and managed.'
