00:00For more than 100 years, Fremantle Port has served as Perth's main shipping hub, but
00:07the government fears it's running out of room.
00:10And it's never been more abundantly clear.
00:14We cannot delay Westport.
00:16Its replacement, Westport, now has a business case, price and a deadline.
00:21The Kwinana-based container facility will cost more than $7 billion and needs to be
00:25finished by the end of next decade, according to the Premier.
00:29And we cannot allow ourselves to run the risk of our current port facilities becoming
00:36constrained and over capacity.
00:39The Premier says if a shipping squeeze occurs, it would act as a break on the economy, costing
00:44$5 billion a year.
00:46Local industry groups are pleased Kwinana is finally getting its moment.
00:50We've been saying for a long time that Kwinana is the centre of the universe.
00:53And when you look at our calculations, that we think there's probably around $30 to $40
00:58billion of investment planned for Kwinana over the next decade or so, rightly all the
01:03attention is going to be down here in Kwinana.
01:05The opposition isn't convinced the new port is necessary.
01:09Fremantle Port has 30% or is at 30% or a third capacity at this point in time.
01:18We will look through the detail of what has been presented by the Cook Labor Government.
01:23Fishing groups are concerned about the environmental impact of construction.
01:2735 million cubic metres of seabed, including seagrass, is going to be dredged effectively
01:33from Fremantle all the way down to Kwinana.
01:36It might not look like much now, but by the end of the 2030s, when Perth's population
01:41hits 3.6 million, all container trade will come from here.
01:45The government insists it's the best option to save taxpayers in the long run.
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