Innaloo residents claim Main Roads killing native wildlife in Hertha Wetland to make way for road extension

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti has been forced to defend her department’s clearing of a small suburban wetland to make way for a road extension — despite scores of turtles and cockatoos being affected, prompting a community outcry. Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas on Saturday stood up for upset residents, saying Main Roads’ actions weren’t good enough. The dispute centres around a 1.2ha strip of vegetation in Innaloo, dubbed Hertha Wetland and nestled between Hertha Road and the Mitchell Freeway. Residents in the northern suburb say they are “devastated” and have lost trust in the Government after Main Roads WA marched forward with the project without any community consultation. Hertha Wetland is home to dozens of species of native wildlife including snake-neck turtles and black cockatoos. Main Roads WA last month informed residents they would be clearing a portion of vegetation at Hertha Wetland to make way for the Stephenson Avenue extension project, but were given just seven days notice of demolition. The Stephenson Avenue project will provide a new connection from Cedric Street to Scarborough Beach Road, including an interchange at the Mitchell Freeway. At least 50 per cent of the wetland’s mature trees will also be cleared. Innaloo local Annika McKirdy said she was “distressed” by the project’s environmental impact and said the wetland was a haven for native fauna. “You’ve got two issues; it’s important we preserve the environment and the animals’ habitats but also, the wetland and the trees are accessed by the community,” she said. “These mature trees are one of the few remaining canopies that are around the freeway and we have black cockatoos that use the trees for feeding. “These little pockets of nature are really, really important to prevent extinction of our species, but also, the trees are really important for the residents’ mental health . . . we’re just devastated.” The State Government claims major efforts were made to protect the fauna and flora of the area, but Mr Zempilas drew parallels to the removal of a small wetland in the city as part of a revamp to the Cultural Centre — and other major Government projects. “This has become an all too familiar pattern with this Government, the lack of community consultation and the lack of regard for community concerns,” he said. “These wetlands, the wetlands at the Perth Cultural Centre, Rita’s racetrack at Burswood. It goes on and on.” Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said an independent ecologist had monitored the wetland before the clearing even begun and confirmed there were “no sightings and presence of turtles”. “The ecologist and their team undertook 22 hours of monitoring in the clearing area before any clearing proceeded,” she said. “Comprehensive planning and trapping activities were undertaken, and while some fauna were detected and relocated safety, there was no sightings or presence of turtles.” She also said some of the trees, which fell during the clearing, would be donated to the Perth Zoo for mulching and foraging material for black cockatoos. But Ms McKirdy said she was baffled the report found no turtles when she knew so many residents sighted them regularly. “We still want to know how the current plan didn’t find any turtles when locals see them regularly,” she said. Ms Saffioti maintained the development was “in accordance with relevant environmental approvals and best-practice standards”. “Qualified spotters were present during the course (of the clearing) to manage any relocation of potential fauna following the relocation program ahead of clearing,” she said. A State Government spokesperson added the local MP, Stuart Aubrey, had met concerned residents and additional measures were put in place. Main Roads WA insists its clearing was needed. “Vegetation and tree clearing is necessary to accommodate road-widening, drainage installation, construction of water retention basins and noise walls,” a spokesperson said. They added that environmental investigations — which were conducted in 2018 and 2019 — were used to inform the project but refused to be drawn on whether they conducted any community consultation. “Whilst significant effort has gone into modifying the design which allowed retention of a significant number of existing mature trees in its current design, Main Roads is continuing to look for opportunities to improve the clearing footprint,” the spokesperson said. A City of Stirling spokesperson said the wetland did not fall on City land but said they had liaised with Main Roads to create “a more organic basin design that enables retention of a number of significant trees”. Ms McKirdy submitted an e-petition to the WA Legislative Council on Tuesday, pleading for the work to be halted and to work with locals to preserve the site. “We want legislative changes to avoid a repeat of this . . . we just want some changes to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” she said. “We also want more consultation from Main Roads WA, because seven days . . . is really scary and we’ve been left with so many questions. “Why is this the best project for Main Roads WA when it is the worst option for the turtles and cockatoos?”