North West Central by-election: Nationals candidate Merome Beard demands govt action on Carnarvon Fascine

Nationals candidate for North West Central Merome Beard is calling for locals to “turn up the heat” on the WA Government, claiming its plans to improve the Carnarvon Fascine were at a dead end. After the town’s boat ramp was left severely restricted and neglected for years, Ms Beard said she would prioritise rebuilding the Fascine if elected this Saturday. Access to the Fascine declined in April 2017 when a storm disrupted entry to the channel. In 2020 the State Government pledged $7 million to a Fascine Entryway Project for a long-term solution for recreational and commercial vessels. Earlier this year, former member for North West Central Vince Catania said the $2.1m allocated to the construction of boat pens was not the long-term solution the community needed. Describing the Fascine as a “jewel in Carnarvon’s crown”, Ms Beard said there was a perfectly good yacht club, pens and a boat ramp that was unused, ultimately affecting the livelihood of local families and businesses. “If the Fascine were in Perth, this level of neglect simply would not be acceptable,” she said. Ms Beard — who is local to Carnarvon — said not having an accessible inlet was costing the community as tourists invest in another port. “The closure is hurting Carnarvon’s once-enviable tourism reputation and costing local jobs,” she said. Ms Beard said it became obvious at a local information session last week that plans for the Fascine were going nowhere fast. “To add insult to injury, the Labor Government who promised to open the Fascine implied Carnarvon’s small rate base and small population doesn’t warrant a fix,” she said. The waterway isn’t Ms Beard’s only concern as a local business owner and candidate, who said she dealt with Carnarvon’s rising crime first-hand and knew what it would take to rise to the top. “We’re broken into regularly — there’s a financial cost, there’s a mental health cost, it’s something that is bad for reputation for the town as well — in all fronts it’s a negative,” the Port Hotel owner said. “On the flip side of that is identifying why it’s happening. Crime is a symptom of a whole lot of other underlying issues which exist which need to be remediated as well.” Ms Beard said PATS subsidies and aged care pension fuel cards needed to be adjusted to reflect the cost of living, while infrastructure services needed upgrading. She said the shortage of accommodation, housing and worker services was crippling the region. “I have quite an understanding — having been here for 20 years and having grown up here as well — about a lot of the issues that are impacting people and that we really need to keep perusing in Parliament.”