A Senate inquiry into environmental breaches of the Perth freight link project has recommended works immediately cease until Western Australia’s environment minister, Albert Jacob, can confirm environmental conditions on the project are being met.
But Jacob told Guardian Australia that he has no intention of ordering a stop to works, saying there was no justification for it.
It follows reports that the project’s construction and fauna management plans were not being complied with; that endangered bandicoots were being killed by bulldozers; and that clearing of native vegetation was occurring outside of designated clearing areas.
Traps to capture and relocate endangered animals were also being set poorly, according to environmentalists monitoring the project, with the road extension being built through the Beeliar wetlands. The allegations prompted a snap Senate inquiry from the environment and communications references committee, which handed down its findings on Monday afternoon.
The federal Greens’ deputy leader and WA senator, Scott Ludlam, described the committee’s report as “the most damning I have seen in my time in the Senate”.
“It makes clear what a disaster the freight link has been from the outset,” he said. “The evidence the committee heard about repeated breaches of environmental conditions at the Beeliar wetlands is impossible to ignore. Work on site must immediately cease.
“Failure to adequately survey nesting areas for endangered cockatoos, insufficient trapping and relocation of marsupials in the woodlands, asbestos-laden dust coating residents homes ... premier Colin Barnett has quite literally bulldozed ahead with no regard for the damage he’s doing.”
However Jacob told Guardian Australia: “The state government is not answerable to the Senate, nor politically motivated Senate committee reports”.
“The highway extension is being constructed in accordance with the conditions of the environmental approval and its management plans and the office of the Environmental Protection Authority has independent auditors onsite daily to monitor compliance,” he said.
“All allegations have been examined, with no incidences of non-compliance found to date.”
The committee also recommended that the Australian national audit office conduct of the Perth freight link project to examine whether appropriate steps were taken to protect the commonwealth’s interests and obtain value for money in respect to the $1.2bn in commonwealth funding committed to the Western Australian government for the Perth freight link project.
The effectiveness of federal environmental protection laws and the adequacy of penalties for non-compliance should also be examined, the committee said.
The $1.9bn Perth freight link, intended to improve freight infrastructure and traffic congestion in Perth by providing a direct connection between the Roe highway and Fremantle port, has been criticised by communities and environmentalists from the start. Bulldozing of the wetlands attracted strong community protests and arrests have been made by police. Environmentalists and volunteers continue to monitor the construction areas for breaches to environmental planning laws.
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