Traditional landowners call for complete remediation of Wittenoom – is it possible?

Traditional landowners call for complete remediation of Wittenoom – is it possible?

Is it possible to remediate all of Wittenoom? With the town formally closed as of last month, both experts and traditional land owners say that the site should be successfully remediated, regardless of the cost.

The McGowan government is less optimistic – they have said the restoration plans for the site need to be “realistic”, and experts say this approach is more likely, with a full-scale rehabilitation of the area likely to cost more than $100 million.

Adam Cross, from Curtin University, believes it would be money well spent, but the scale of the project is largely unprecedented. “Wittenoom really is something that is almost unparalleled around the world,” he said.

“The physical area that now potentially has been affected is going to make it a significant challenge.”

“I think the true cost of actually restoring the landscape to the standards that are expected nationally and internationally would actually blow most people’s minds,” Dr Cross said.

“We have an implicit requirement to try and return landscapes that we damaged to something like the ecological quality that was there before we impacted upon them.”

The area under control, known as the Wittenoom Asbestos Management Area, is 46,000 hectares, is the largest contaminated site in the southern hemisphere.

Dr Cross’s comments come as traditional owners renew calls for the McGowan government to lead the clean-up and return their country to its original state.

The state government formally closed Wittenoom last month, but has not released rehabilitation plans for the former asbestos mining region, which it feels will probably never be safe to visit.

Wittenoom mine and township are on land that belongs to the Banjima native title holders. Elder Maitland Parker said that the closure of the town was good news, but the contamination is significant, and prevented local indigenous owners from visiting the country.

“I don’t care what the cost is,” Mr Parker said. “It’s about time the government put their hand in their pocket and did something about it.
It’s a legacy that we will carry — it’s so important for us to take the fight on to the government about the clean-up.”

Lands Minister for WA, John Carey, said that the steering committee for the project would be re-established to advise the government on the potential management options. He noted that cleaning the entire site may not be possible.

“No detailed work has been done on estimating the cost of clean-up, but given the severity and extent of the contamination, it would be a significant undertaking,” he said.

“Sadly, even with remediation, it is unlikely the area will ever be safe to visit.”

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