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Comment from the Rottnest Society...

Does it have to be one or the other at Rottnest?  Well, no.  However we do need to be clear about the overall direction management takes in relation to Rottnest.  Should it be promoted as an international tourist resort - or should the major focus be for 'recreational and holiday facilities'?  Can the two co-exist on Rottnest?

Many Rottnest lovers have had deeply-seated ongoing fears about developers' desires for Rottnest and the possible desires of government to turn the island into a tourist attraction since the days of the infamous Burke Government plan to turn it into an international tourism destination - and more recently since the Rottnest Island Taskforce recommended the development of a 'low-impact eco-tourism' development between South Thomsons villas and the Army Jetty to be followed at a later date by a possible development at Mt. Herschell.  And of course these fears are fanned by some very outrageous and simplistic articles in local newspapers from time to time.  With the Minister's recent announcement of the fast-tracking of two developments those fears are very much evident, and are associated with a sense that it is the beginning of the end.

As we are confronted with the prospect of these two new developments the Society seeks first of all to obtain as much information as possible about the proposals so that we can make informed comment and representation.   As more information becomes available we then must decide what we can support and what we remain opposed to - and then if serious opposition remains, what we do about it.  It is very easy to respond from the standpoint that we do not want any change at all but this is probably not very productive for anyone.  Change is a part of life and opposing everything means that eventually you are sidelined.  It is important for us to be clear about what does, and does not, fit with our desired outcome for Rottnest and the public who own, within the clearly defined parameters set down in our Objectives and amplified in our Statement of Policies.  We must then continue to take our case to management and government as best we can.  And so we return time and again to these guiding principles - principles that we believe represent the desires of a large portion of the Western Australian community in relation to Rottnest.  Members of the Committee meet regularly with management of the Rottnest Island Authority (RIA) - in particular, with CEO Paolo Amaranti.  We believe that these regular meetings have been very productive with our concerns being heard, considered and from time to time bringing about change of policy - not everything that we would like but certainly enough to make us believe that it is worth continuing to be part of the process.

We also must try to understand the political, social, environmental and  economic background against which decisions are taken in relation to Rottnest.  We must also understand the framework within which any development will take place.  Most of all we need to understand what is the driver underpinning the proposed developments, and what is the potential impact on both the natural environment and the 'Rottnest experience'.  It is worth taking the time to read the RIA's Annual Report 2004/2005 for background information.

A very salient point that needs to be considered by the public in this debate is the obvious one that Rottnest comes under the portfolio of the Minister for Tourism, and it goes without saying that this means the focus for the Minister must be to promote the island as a tourist destination.  It is also clear that there is some conflict with the Rottnest Island Act (1987).  It is also clear that it has not been possible to promote Rottnest internationally because of the lack of 'suitable' accommodation for international tourists - and of course because most of the available accommodation is booked solid by locals over much of the year (the RIA continues to have enviable occupancy rates even with its very basic accommodation).  It is clear too that both sides of government are very much aware of the public's feeling of ownership of Rottnest - again particularly since the Burke Government's days although it is clear that this love affair with Rottnest has continued almost from the beginnings of white settlement.  It is also clear that, in spite of a reported recent decline in numbers reported in the 2004/05 Annual Report Western Australians still make up 70% of the annual visitor total.  The Report says that this decline may be associated with an overall decline in numbers nationwide - or is it, as the RIA fears, a general turning away from Rottnest?.

It is also clear that there is a financial imperative - current and future generations will be much better served if the island can become self-sustaining financially.  This is the imperative for the RIA and government to be looking for additional income streams whilst seeking to improve management practices and to reduce costs where possible (go to Alternative Funding Model for more discussion).

It also must be understood that the CEO and the Board are required by the Minister to implement the Taskforce's recommendations.  The government took on board nearly all of the Taskforce's recommendations and to its credit, committed significant funding ($20,000,000 to 2010).  It is obvious to anyone visiting Rottnest that there has been significant work being undertaken.  The government intends that Rottnest become fully self-sustaining financially - an objective that is of course admirable.

It is also clear that the sense of public ownership of the island is taken seriously by management and government as it grapples with the difficulties posed by having to drag seriously neglected infrastructure up to date and finding a way to become sustainable into the future.  We do not underestimate the very  complex difficulties faced by management.

In other articles on this website we comment on the suitability of each of the proposed sites (see Mt. Herschell and South Thomsons).  We have also commented on a number of aspects to do with the proposed developments in the current Boating WA Newsletter. Here we are looking rather at the intended market for such developments.

If it is accepted that some development is necessary then what should be the target market?

We understand that to achieve maximum occupancy the proposed developments are likely to be marketed interstate and internationally as part of package tours.  Thus, although the Minister's press release says the Mt. Herschell development 'will cater for people seeking short-stay accommodation, such as couples, families, seniors, conference delegates and interstate and international visitors' the reality probably is that aggressive marketing of packages interstate and overseas would limit access by Western Australians.  As far as we can understand the underlying point is that interstate and international tourists are more likely to be willing to pay a premium for these rooms and therefore that will be the market targeted by both of these developments.

We believe that the public would find it much easier to support some increase in accommodation if a way could be found to build for the local holiday-maker rather than particularly for interstate and overseas tourists.  And of course this would be much more in line with the Rottnest Island Authority Act 1987 which says in Part III, Functions and Powers, Item 11 (2) that

'The control and management of the island is vested in the Authority for the purpose of enabling it (a) to provide and operate recreational and holiday facilities on the Island;...'

and further says in Part  III Item (1)

'In the provision and operation of recreational and holiday facilities on the island, the Authority - (a) shall have particular regard to the needs of persons usually resident in the State who wish to visit or stay on the Island as a family group;...'

Do we stand to jeopardise the very substantial local holiday market if we pursue the tourism market?

We understand that the government is not willing to fund additional accommodation for the island but is there really no other way of attracting funding for additional accommodation to to take up some of the quite substantial excess of local holiday-makers who want to holiday at Rottnest but can't get accommodation for quite a lot of the year?

See here for discussion on an Alternative Funding Model