ALL community members from Yarloop and surrounding areas will be invited to participate in a consultation process to help determine the future of Yarloop.
State Recovery Controller Ken Michael said the consultation would be carried out concurrently with the State Government-led clean-up efforts in the area.
In January, bushfires swept through more than 72,000ha and wiped out 181 homes and businesses in the Waroona and Harvey shires, all but destroying the town of Yarloop.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOWMany people left the area and have been unable to return due to the complex nature of the clean-up which involves managing asbestos-related sites and hazards such as burnt-out car bodies and unstable structures.
Dr Michael said there was no pre-determined position on the future of Yarloop.
“Our goal is to support the community members and shires to find the best option to help recover from the bushfires,” he said.
“Consultation interviews will be available in Harvey, Waroona, Bunbury, Mandurah, Collie and Perth or over the telephone for people who cannot make a face-to-face interview.”
Consultations will be confidential and aggregated information analysed with the shires and broad options developed.
The results will be presented to the community for further discussion.
Dr Michael started the community consultation process last Thursday at Harvey.
The State Government took responsibility for project management of the clean-up of fire-affected areas in February, with agreement from shires.
The State and Australian governments will jointly pay for the clean-up of the fire-affected residential properties