Roe 8 court battle fails

Environmental advocates have lost the latest High Court application to stop the extension of Roe Highway through Beeliar Wetlands.

The Save Beeliar Wetlands group had applied in August for special leave to lodge an appeal against a recent court decision on the project which is known as Roe 8.

It is part of the larger Perth Freight Link, which will eventually create an uninterrupted route from Muchea to Fremantle Ports

The link is expected to cost around $1.9 billion, although it has not yet been decided how the second stage of the link will proceed, with one option being a tunnel.

Today’s decision comes only days after work on the road began, while contracts were awarded to a consortium comprising CPB Contractors, Georgiou, WA Limestone, GHD, AECOM and BG&E in October.

Environment Minister Albert Jacob said the decision meant the clarification provided by the Western Australian Court of Appeal in July remained in place.

“That case was not about the environmental merits of the project, but about the way policies are used in decision making by government,” he said.

“This project was subject to a robust environmental assessment conducted over several years and has an approval that mandates strict conditions to manage and mitigate environmental impacts.

“Today’s decision means that these environmental approvals remain valid and Roe 8 is going ahead.

“This is good news for the state’s economy, for the many hundreds of people who will be employed on the project and the many thousands of people who will benefit from greatly improved traffic flows and a safer road network in Perth’s southern suburbs.”

Speaking to a group of supporters after the decision, Greens MLC Lynn Maclaren said that the legal disputes were not yet finished, however, with campaigners having further avenues to pursue to block the project.

“Today’s decision means that the case against the environmental approvals that we were trying to take to the High Court has failed,” she said.

“Today we have called on the Barnett government to show a little bit of grace in the lead up to Christmas.

“Give us a Christmas present and don’t do anything (to begin work) so that we can have time with our families and so that the animals can rest in their environment knowing that they are safe from being translocated.”