By Chris Thomson | posted on September 27, 2018
COMPETITION to host a multi-million dollar State bushfire centre of excellence is heating up, with The Weekender able to reveal a shortlist of possible locations that includes the Great Southern centres of Albany, Mount Barker, Denmark and Katanning.
A Government tender document released in the past week says the only possible regional location for the centre will be a site within 60km of Albany, Bunbury, Busselton, Mandurah or Geraldton; or the townsites of Katanning, Manjimup, Margaret River, Collie, Boddington, Northam, Morawa or Jurien Bay.
Also on the shortlist are outer metropolitan Perth shires that abut a rural area.
Asked whether his administration would make a bid for the centre, City of Albany CEO Andrew Sharpe kept his cards close to his chest.
“The City welcomes the opportunity extended to local governments to make a bid to be the base of the new bushfire centre of excellence, and will consider the benefits of making a case for Albany over coming weeks,” he said.
At a meeting on Tuesday night, Vancouver Ward Councillor John Shanhun, a member of the South Coast Volunteer Bushfire Brigade, was more expansive.
“I’m just pumped, because I believe surely Albany, if it is serious about this, has a fantastic chance,” he told City officials and The Weekender.
“If the City gets behind this it would be fantastic for Albany.”
Cr Shanhun said the Albany-based brigade had 16 bases that stretched east to Esperance and north to Narrogin.
But competition will be hot, with the metropolitan Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale saying it wants the centre, and will seek $5 million of Federal cash to top up the $18 million already promised by Premier Mark McGowan. Darlington in the metropolitan Shire of Mundaring is also reportedly in the mix.
In May, Mr McGowan said the centre would improve bushfire management practices across the State, providing a facility for volunteers to train other volunteers to fight bushfires.
South West Region Liberal MLC Steve Thomas, the Opposition spokesperson for Emergency Services, said building the centre in a metropolitan area such as Darlington would not be appropriate.
“I think it’s absolutely critical that they go through a full and proper process and find the best regional area,” said Dr Thomas, who has pushed hard for the centre to be based somewhere in the Great Southern or Southwest.
He said officials from Albany, Manjimup, Bunbury, Busselton, Collie, Mandurah and Pinjarra had told him they would likely throw their hats in the ring.
“It will be a major asset for a country town somewhere,” he added.
“The South West Land Division is, in my view, the only really appropriate place for the centre to go because that’s where the forest meets the population.”
Shire of Plantagenet CEO Rob Stewart said “good reasons” existed to base the centre in the Great Southern, including the “diverse range of fire environments, old growth forest, broadacre farming, large tracts of natural bush and national parks”.
“Also, the Great Southern is easy to get to with daily air services from Perth and only a four-hour drive from the metropolitan area,” he said.
“However, we do not yet have a formal position on this issue and [it] is possibly something that should be discussed at [a regional] alliance level.”
Shire of Denmark CEO Bill Parker said his municipality’s position on the Government shortlist “has certainly got our attention”.
“We will discuss it over the coming days with our councillors and Alliance partners,” he said.
The State tender document says the centre will need to incorporate Aboriginal people’s multi-millennia knowledge and experience managing fire.
Municipalities in the South West Land Division have until 11am on October 24 to lodge an expression of interest with the State.
Shire of Katanning CEO Julian Murphy and Shire of Manjimup Acting CEO Brian Robinson failed to respond by the Weekender’s deadline.
