The asbestos-contaminated town of Wittenoom is the subject of a bill that has just passed the Western Australian parliament, which will see the town closed and all remaining properties destroyed.
The bill was a priority for the McGowan government after border closures saw more Western Australian residents travelling to the area and putting themselves at risk.
The Wittenoom Closure Bill will allow the government to remove the remaining four properties in the degazetted town, as well as infrastructure and force the final remaining resident to vacate.
The hope is that with no infrastructure, tourists will be more likely to heed the health warnings which note the presence of asbestos in the air and on the ground at Wittenoom.
The site has been classified as a contaminated area since 2003 and was formally delisted in 2007. Most of the properties remaining in the area were acquired through a voluntary government buyback program.