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First Westport taskforce report released

Gabrielle JefferyWeekend Kwinana Courier

THE first glimpse of what a future Kwinana Port could look like is open for public feedback after the release of a report by the Westport Taskforce.

Titled Westport: What we have found so far, the report outlines problems and opportunities of creating an outer harbour to meet the freight needs of WA for the next 150 years.

The taskforce looked at combining passenger, bulk and container through five key areas: trades, land use, supply chain, port capability and environmental values. That turned out 300 options, which were then whittled down to the most feasible eight options.

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One of those would see Kwinana take containers alongside its existing bulk facilities, leaving Fremantle as a passenger-only port and Bunbury remaining as a bulk and passenger port.

The taskforce has complied with Infrastructure Australia’s rigorous assessment process in a bid to be a forerunner for any Commonwealth funding.

The process over the past year has sought input from more than 100 representatives from all levels of government, industry, unions, private enterprise, academia, environmental and community groups.

Stage Two of the process will study each option in detail, reducing them to a shortlist for analysis via a multi-criteria assessment.

The taskforce’s work will conclude with the preferred network solution covering port, road, rail and intermodal facilities across Fremantle, Kwinana and Bunbury at the end of next year.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the report was timely.

“New trade forecast figures in this report confirm that forward planning for a new port is required,” she said.