Opposition calls on State Government to push negotiations for Kalbarri workers’ accommodation on Woods Street

A project to establish workers’ accommodation in Kalbarri appears to have stalled, with no action taken on site and no contract signed almost a year after a preferred proponent was announced. The Opposition has called on the State Government to prioritise the project after the Budget estimates process revealed a lack of progress and stalled negotiations with preferred proponent Petra Westkey. Vacant land on Woods Street was unlocked in March last year to build a multi-user workforce accommodation facility to help businesses attract and retain staff as the community continues to rebuild after cyclone Seroja. It was announced on August 16 last year that Petra Westkey was named the preferred proponent and they would enter contract negotiations, but almost a year on the Woods Street site remains a vacant block. “In the aftermath of cyclone Seroja in April 2021, there has never been a greater need for accommodation for builders and essential workers to help the community of Kalbarri recover, but this project has been going nowhere,” North West Central MLA Merome Beard said. “Rather than own up to their inaction and explain how they are supporting this project, the Minister for Lands continues to make excuses. “Getting key workers into our region has been a priority for local business for years and the failure to deliver on this promise is hurting confidence in a community which has already been through so much.” A State Government spokesperson said Petra Westkey had advised they were “working through their financials and design of the project in detail”. “Prior to tropical cyclone Seroja, the State Government made a commitment to launch an expression of interest for State-owned land in Kalbarri to build workers’ accommodation,” the spokesperson said. “The intention of the development was to assist the local community, who experience seasonal tourism, and had identified the need for workers’ accommodation. “The State Government’s commitment was to make suitable land available in consultation with the local government and we delivered that commitment.” Shadow emergency services minister Martin Aldridge said the Shire of Northampton had found the absence of workers’ accommodation in the region was the biggest stumbling block for community recovery and the delay represented a “failure” in the State’s cyclone Seroja recovery efforts. “The Minister is somehow suggesting that annexing an empty block, with no contract, no completion date and no funding attached, is a job well done,” he said. Petra Westkey was contacted for comment.