IHD Engineering Awards submission - Fremantle Ports

Minister for Environment. It is important that there be an approved ‘span of
time’ for a project, but there also needs to be a degree of flexibility available to
the relevant parties.
The requirement of the EPA was that Fremantle Ports apply to the EPA pursuant
to section 45A of the EP Act for approval to ‘change the proposal’ so as to
accommodate the backhoe work subsequent to the substantive dredging
program. This process appeared to consume considerable time by all of the
relevant parties to achieve an outcome that could be regarded by some as simply
a process-­‐decision to accommodate a request to amend the ‘span of time’ for the
project from 26 weeks to 29 weeks so as to provide for the completion of the
backhoe work.
Considerable care needs to be taken in considering the ‘span of time’ of a project
to be set out in the Ministerial Statement. The timing schedule needs to be
reviewed from time to time so that there is ample time to proceed through the
process if an extension of the ‘span of time’ for a project is needed. Perhaps the
process can be examined by the relevant authority and amended where
appropriate.
Appreciation by the Chairman
I welcomed the opportunity to chair Fremantle Ports Dredging Reference Group.
As is so often the case, I gained more from the experience than I gave. Each
person attending the reference group meetings made a positive contribution,
and I met many people whom I had not known before.
I thank Fremantle Ports and their consultants for the professional approach each
demonstrated in their submissions to the Group, and I thank all members of the
Group for their inputs to the discussion. Those inputs, which came from an array
of backgrounds, were very helpful and always courteous.
Bernard Bowen
27 May 2011
5