Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan has welcomed the final environmental approval on the State Barrier Fence Esperance extension, which clears the way for work to begin by June.
The 660 kilometre fence extension will help farmers in Ravensthorpe and Esperance fight the ongoing scourge of wild dog predation on livestock.
The McGowan Government has allocated $6.9 million towards the project, as part of its $28 million commitment to tackling wild dogs in agricultural and pastoral regions.
The shires of Esperance and Ravensthorpe and the Federal Government have also allocated funding for the project.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is currently finalising pre-construction weed and dieback surveys, a condition of the environmental approvals.
DPIRD has also started a targeted training module aimed at upskilling Esperance Tjaltjraak traditional owners to complete fencing works.
The program partners DPIRD staff with up to eight Aboriginal trainees to drive training and employment opportunities on the Esperance extension.
As stated by Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan:
“This is fantastic news for farmers around Esperance and Ravensthorpe, and means construction on the fence can get underway within months.
“We are also ensuring that work on the project delivers real employment and training benefits to local Aboriginal people.
“Pre-construction survey work is almost complete and we look forward to celebrating with the Esperance and Ravensthorpe communities when the first post hits the ground.”
