(13/12/2018) Fremantle welcomes Westport Taskforce progress report

The City of Fremantle has welcomed the release of the Westport Taskforce’s first progress report.

The taskforce was established by the state government last year to provide guidance on the planning, development and growth of the inner harbour at Fremantle, the future outer harbour at Kwinana and opportunities to expand the Port of Bunbury.

Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt said he was pleased the strategic options identified by the taskforce for further investigation included retaining Fremantle’s inner harbour as a working container port.

“As well as the employment and activity associated with the operations of the inner harbour being a critical component of the Fremantle region’s economy, the fact that Fremantle is a working port is central to our identity as a city,” Mayor Pettitt said.

“Earlier this year the Fremantle Council reaffirmed its position that container handling should be maintained at North Quay, provided the associated land side transport arrangements have no greater impact on the local community than current port operations.

“To achieve this, the council considers the viable level of operations is likely to be in the range of 700,000 to 1 million container units per year.

“The council is also strongly of the view that Victoria Quay should also be progressively developed for community, tourism and commercial uses – in particular with improved facilities for cruise ship passengers.

“I look forward to continuing our constructive discussions with the state government to progress this development.”

Fremantle is WA’s largest general cargo port and handled $26 billion in trade in 2016-17.

Among the strategic options for container facilities identified by the Westport Taskforce were optimising Fremantle and transitioning containers to Kwinana over time, optimising Fremantle and transitioning containers to Bunbury over time, having containers in Fremantle and Kwinana or Bunbury for the long term or retaining Fremantle as WA’s only container port.  

Public feedback on the progress report can be provided until 21 January 2019.

The final Westport: Port and Environs Strategy is scheduled to be presented to the Minister for Transport, Planning and Lands in late 2019.