Letter to the Editor - ‘Why would we invite back a Freeway?’

Dear Editor,

I have read the recent posts in the Fremantle Shipping News opposing the move of Fremantle’s container port south to Westport, including Broad Coalition opposes relocation of Port and Building a Westport harbour ‘unsustainable’, as well as Westport Responds.

I have been a voluntary member of the ESG Committee on the new port. I think there are many reasons for the new port in Kwinana.

1. We had a massive fight against the Barnett Government to stop Roe 8 going through the Beeliar Wetlands and through East and North Fremantle in a completely massive and unnecessary Freeway. We wrote a book about this called ‘Never Again’ by the Beeliar Group of Professors supported by the 5000 or so daily protesters who eventually stopped the bulldozers. A new government could certainly dig out those plans and try again, but expect a very nasty reaction.

2. The present port is not adequate. It’s built for the sailing ship era when ports had to get ships out of the wind to unload them. It has served us well but is not a competitive place for large ships. Two have smashed into the bridge and across to the Leeuwin in the recent past.

3. It is possible to build a new port that has the latest technology with net zero operations that can take more rail-based freight. It would take all container trucks off the present urban area by going around the city from major redistribution sites.

4. The regeneration of Cockburn Sound can and is already happening as a part of the new port. Significant work has been done on regenerating sea grass to ensure even more habitat for fishes.

5. The next economy is rapidly emerging as based around net zero for all industries around Cockburn Sound. The next new technologies include geothermal power for intensive industries, Collie-crete to replace concrete, batteries and solar along all the corridors…all are depending on local, state and federal support structures and finance, with the new port a major focus of such partnership development.

6. The local community have been involved in many of these discussions including an Indigenous group who have shown the important sites and have new opportunities into the future.

7. The old port is already being redeveloped as an opportunity to regenerate North Fremantle.

Why would we in Fremantle give up these opportunities and invite a Freeway back?

* By Peter Newman, Fremantle. Peter Newman is the Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. Peter is an academic who has written 20 books and over 350 papers on sustainable cities with a global reputation and has worked to deliver his ideas in all levels of government. Peter has worked in local government as an elected councilor in Fremantle, in Western Australia’s state government as an advisor to three Premiers and in the Australian Government on the Board of Infrastructure Australia and the Prime Minister’s Cities Reference Group. He is the Co-ordinating Lead Author for the UN’s IPCC on Transport. In 2014 he was awarded an Order of Australia for his contributions to urban design and sustainable transport particularly for his work in saving and rebuilding Perth’s rail system. In 2018/19 he was the WA Scientist of the Year. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Springer journal Sustainable Earth.

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