I am writing to you as my local candidate and Member of Parliament ahead of the 2025 WA Election.

I am asking you to make a commitment to protect a place very important to me – the Kimberley’s Martuwarra Fitzroy River.

In 2021, 43,000 people, like me, sent a submission to the WA Government, calling for all plans for large-scale water extraction to be abandoned and for long-term protection of the Martuwarra Fitzroy River.

 This call was supported by Traditional Owners, hundreds of scientists, recreational fishing clubs, peak groups and more than a thousand Kimberley locals.

In 2017, the incoming Labor government made an election commitment to protect the Martuwarra Fitzroy River. Since then, we have seen significant progress, but there is still more to be done to ensure the river is protected.

In 2023, the government made a further promise to protect the Martuwarra’s surface water flows following strong support from Traditional Owners. Now it’s crucial these promises are made binding.

I strongly urge you as my local leader and candidate to consider making long-term protection of the Martuwarra Fitzroy River a priority in 2025, by committing to:

• Enact long-term protection for the river, its floodplains, wetlands and tributaries.
• Protect the Martuwarra’s cultural values by funding consultation with Traditional Owners on the management of groundwater in the catchment, ensuring a strong co-design process on the proposed water allocation plan.
• Protect the critically endangered freshwater sawfish through active management and improving habitat by reviewing any barriers that prevent it from moving along the river.

The Martuwarra Fitzroy River is of outstanding environmental and cultural importance, is renowned across Australia for its fishing and tourism, and is a haven for rare species, like the critically endangered freshwater sawfish.

I strongly urge you, as my local candidate to make protecting the Martuwarra Fitzroy River a priority in 2025. 

It’s time to finish the job!