State Government commits $4 million in State Budget for new Bunbury fishing platform

The State Government has announced $4 million in funding for a new fishing platform in Bunbury in the 2024-2025 State Budget. The platform is expected to be positioned in the Casuarina Harbour area, and could be attached to the new breakwater being constructed as part of the Transforming Bunbury’s Waterfront project. Planning for the jetty has been in the works since the start of the year, and construction is planned to begin as soon as possible after community and industry consultation. Fisheries Minister Don Punch said the platform would be able to be used by all. “We know fishing is an incredibly popular pastime, and particularly from an accessibility point of view, people who do have different abilities want to be able to get out and drop a line in the water and experience fishing,” he said. “That’s essentially what this is about. Bunbury has very few accessible opportunities to get close to the water. “Most of them are either beach based or rock-based. “Providing safe access is something that’s incredibly important, and certainly the feedback I had following the closure of the platform that’s the old pilot boat jetty has been that people are really looking to see a new one.” The funding comes in the wake of a $457,000 funding package which included works on the existing jetty, which was ultimately closed for good last year after being operational for less than 12 months. According to Mr Punch, the funding included a spend for the wider port infrastructure, and the money which went towards the jetty itself was closer to half the total price. The Bunbury MLA said the State Government would proceed with a new jetty, mitigating the risk of already failing infrastructure. “At the time when the decision was made to go with that jetty, people were calling for urgent access to the water,” he said. “There was consultation with fishers (and peak bodies) at the time, so the decision was made to go ahead on that basis. Now it’s notoriously difficult to really gauge the true condition of the piles. “This new platform, it will be purpose-built, we will be having facilities that support disability access, including disability-access toilet facilities.”