PETTITT WON’T BUY PERDAMAN ARGUMENT

Photo courtesy Brad Pettitt.

GEOFF VIVIAN

WA Greens MP Brad Pettitt was says the Government was too quick to accept the company Perdaman’s arguments for locating a fertiliser plant at Murujuga, the Burrup Peninsula, and not the Maitland Industrial Estate 15km away.

“A company that doesn’t want to relocate will put up an estimated cost that may be inflated,” he said. “So whilst we understand that might be Perdaman’s estimate I think Government should look to that and see how accurate that was and how material that was, and which part of those costs where there might be some savings as well.”

Perdaman plans to build a urea plant in the middle of Murujuga National Park, removing three ancient rock art sites.

Last week State Development minister Roger Cook told Parliament a Maitland plant would cost up to $1 billion more, and require more rock art to be removed to make way for a conveyor.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there were ways that either that the conveyor could be done, that would minimise impacts, or another way of doing things in that location that would minimise them,” he said.