Legislation to facilitate the final closure of the former asbestos mining town of Wittenoom is back before State Parliament.
Minister for Lands, Tony Buti said the Wittenoom Closure Bill enabled the compulsory acquisition of 14 remaining privately-owned properties in the former townsite.
Mr Buti said the Wittenoom Asbestos Management Area covered more than 46,500 hectares and included the former townsite, Wittenoom Gorge and Joffre Floodplain.
“The area is classified as a contaminated site under the Contaminated Sites Act 2003,” Mr Buti said.
“Wittenoom was formally delisted as a town in 2007 and the State has since successfully acquired most of the private properties through voluntary acquisition.”
He said once the Bill was passed, and the final properties had been acquired from the three remaining owners, all remaining infrastructure within the former townsite would be removed to limit the attraction for people to visit and stay in the area.
The Minister said the Bill was previously passed by the Legislative Assembly during the last Parliament but could not be progressed through the Legislative Council ahead of the State Election.
Mr Buti said Wittenoom would never be safe for human habitation and was a closed site for public health reasons.
“It has been more than 100 years since blue asbestos was first identified in the Hamersley Ranges and more than 80 years since mining commenced in Wittenoom,” he said.
“What followed was one of Australia’s worst industrial disasters that led to thousands of deaths and classification of the area as the largest contaminated site in the Southern Hemisphere.”
Mr Buti said the Bill was a significant step in resolving this longstanding industrial tragedy, protecting public health and putting an end to a dark period in the State’s mine closure history.
