Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I inform the House that I recently met with key stakeholders to discuss a number of local issues in the Hillarys area within my electorate. These issues include strategies to revitalise and attract increased numbers of visitors and tourists to the Hillarys Boat Harbour, address antisocial behaviour and reckless driving in the marina precinct and upgrade the recreational amenities at the Whitfords Nodes Park. I also held various discussions with Mayor Albert Jacob; Councillor Christine Hamilton-Prime; the state member for Hillarys, Peter Katsambanis MLA; owner representatives from the Wyllie Group, Wayne McGrath, Todd Morcombe and Nigel Steven; as well as representatives from the Harbour Rise Association, including Martyn Glover. We discussed practical ways to address key local issues of concern and attract both private sector investment and government funding for capital works to upgrade the facilities and improve the amenity of the area for the benefit of residents and visitors.

To address the law and order issues I have written to the officer in charge of the Hillarys police station to request more frequent law enforcement patrols around the marina precinct, car park and coastal roads leading north of the boat harbour. In addition the Department of Transport, which has responsibility for the harbour, will be cooperating with the City of Joondalup in the closed-circuit television monitoring of the car park precinct for motor vehicle and reckless driving offences. Federal and state funding is sought towards the proposed redevelopment of the Whitfords Nodes Park as a health and wellbeing hub.

Concept plans include a fitness access staircase to be constructed on the north dune. The proposed stairway is 21 metres in height—the equivalent of seven storeys—which will provide an expansive outlook vantage point over the coast. In addition, there will be upgrades to the existing lookout and pathways, picnic shelters, barbecues, a new drinking fountain, and water bottle refilling stations. The project will also consolidate the current play equipment into a new regional play space. The stairway has the potential to become a popular tourist attraction similar to the popular Jacobs Ladder staircase located at Kings Park.

Attracting tourists and visitors to the city of Joondalup is a priority, as tourism and hospitality are very important contributors to our local economy. The state and federal governments can also play a role in tourism promotion in terms of destination marketing to encourage private sector investment in modernising the Hillarys marina precinct and support the businesses operating within the marina. I welcome yesterday's announcement by the Wyllie group for a proposed $5 million investment in a pirate-themed amusement and adventure park—including two 18-hole adventure minigolf courses, a double FlowRider surf machine, a pirate galleon, lagoons, an erupting volcano, cafes, a small bar and a kiosk—at the former Great Escape water slide park site, by a local family company, Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf Pty Ltd, which has links to the British theme park group InterPark.

Public consultation results show strong community support for the Whitfords Nodes upgrade project. Feedback from the community consultation shows that more than 70 per cent of the 458 respondents either strongly supported or supported each element of the concept plan, while 87 per cent indicated they strongly supported or supported the overall proposal. The project has the endorsement of the Harbour Rise residents association, which first advocated for the concept of a recreational node nearly six years ago. The City of Joondalup Council supports the proposal to enhance Whitfords Nodes Park and has listed $810,000 in the city's five-year capital works program towards the total cost of the project, which is estimated at $1.62 million. The city is now in the process of applying for a further $810,000 in federal and state grants towards the remaining elements of the scope of works. Given the regional nature of Whitfords Nodes as a coastal destination and its potential for tourism, economic development and job creation, there exists a strong business case for federal funding based on merit.