Shire of Carnarvon confirms amended orders from State Administrative Tribunal for Blowholes shacks

Owners of shacks at the Blowholes campsites north of Carnarvon have been given more time to make necessary repairs to prove they are safe in order to save them from demolition. Final orders from the State Administrative Tribunal have been delivered concerning the future of the shacks at Quobba after the Shire of Carnarvon proposed amendments to the initial orders. The tribunal found 10 of the 23 shacks located at the Quobba Blowholes to be in a dangerous state, but varied the shire’s decision to issue building orders by granting shack owners the opportunity to “repair those shacks to make them safe”. Owners have until August 30 to repair the structures to prevent or stop the buildings from being a danger to people, or other property. The amendment requires a registered building surveyor certify the identified dangerous shacks are no longer dangerous, which must be done by shack owners independently by September 30, 2024. The shire has said its building surveyor would not complete the assessments of danger independently, “even if the defects identified in the tribunal process are remedied”. An official statement released by the shire said: “The obligation is on the shack owners to provide satisfactory evidence, therefore allowing them to manage the future of their shacks.” If the shack owners fail to provide the required confirmation by September 30, they will be required to demolish their shacks by October 30, 2024. Should shack owners fail to demolish the shacks within this time frame, the shire may proceed with demolition at the owners’ cost. Repairs must be done to the shacks within the parameters of being performed solely to address safety concerns and not to rebuild or construct new shacks. The Shire of Carnarvon issued building orders to 23 shack owners on May 4, 2022, declaring the structures were unsafe and at-risk of injuring habitants and visitors. The campsite rose to notoriety when four-year-old Carnarvon girl Cleo Smith was abducted from her family’s tent at the site in October 2021. On June 1, 2022, the applicants started proceedings in the tribunal under the Building Act 2011, seeking a review of the shire’s decision to make the building orders.

Shire of Carnarvon confirms amended orders from State Administrative Tribunal for Blowholes shacks

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