A shark barrier designed to protect beach-goers at Mandurah’s popular Falcon Bay is in doubt after the City of Mandurah revealed the state government had not budgeted enough money to build it.
Fisheries minister Dave Kelly committed $200,000 in May to get the protective barrier built, but it is understood the final price tag could run to double that figure.
It had been hoped the barrier, which was to be installed near to where local surfer Ben Gerring was fatally mauled in a shark attack, would be installed ahead of the coming summer.
City of Mandurah chief executive Mark Newman said the Council had not yet had the chance to consider the proposal.
”The Council has not yet considered this grant offer, or the financial costs associated with the project,” he said.
“It’s expected the enclosure would cost more than the commitment from the state government.”
Mr Newman said the Council would also have to weigh up the “potential impacts on the amenity of the area, the capacity of the site to accommodate a likely increase in visitors to the beach, and ongoing maintenance requirements”.
A report would not be presented to Council until the end of the year.
Dawesville MP Zak Kirkup, who had been campaigning to have the shark barrier built since last December, slammed the City of Mandurah for holding up to the project, saying they should “just get out of the way and reflect the intent of the community”.
“The community of Falcon and the surrounding suburbs want this to happen,” he said.
“What we now have here is the possibility of a bureaucratic nightmare standing in the way of the people’s intent and indeed the state government’s intent,” he said.
“It’s not something we should stop or put the brakes on, but we need to forge ahead and get it done as soon as possible.”
City of Mandurah Mayor Marina Vergone said she was disappointed “the amount we’ve been quoted is more than the money that’s been allocated by the state government”.
“I’ve told the CEO [of the City of Mandurah] to go away and find out why and what other options we might have,” she said.
But Mr Kirkup said he was concerned this could mean the City of Mandurah would try to move the shark barrier to another area.
“Let's not forget there’s been sharks wash up in Falcon Bay, a member of the Mandurah community was killed by shark off Falcon,” he said.
“That has happened nowhere else in Mandurah.
“Falcon is the epicentre of the community’s concerns about sharks and this is exactly the reason we responded to try to get a shark barrier installed there in the first place,” he said.
A spokeswoman for the fisheries minister referred requests for comment to the Department of Fisheries.
A fisheries departmental spokesman said the minister announced a “once-off $200,000 grant to the City of Mandurah to assist with the purchase and installation of a beach enclosure at Falcon Beach”.
“Fisheries is currently in discussion with the City of Mandurah at an officer level with a view to settling a grant agreement,” he said.
Nathan Hondros
Senior Journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, and Fairfax Media.
Senior Journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, and Fairfax Media.
