The Town of Cambridge ratepayers could be left footing an eye-watering $180,000 bill for the removal of a 31-tonne whale carcass from South City Beach, with the council now considering how it is to deal with the unbudgeted expense.
Deputy Mayor Ben Mayes has put forward a motion demanding the State take primary responsibility for coordinating and funding whale carcass responses across WA, arguing local ratepayers should not be forced to pay for an incident beyond their control.
He has called on the State Government to establish a funded response mechanism that would fully reimburse local governments or other agencies for their response costs, review the existing whale carcass management policy and reimburse Cambridge for the South City Beach operation.
The carcass washed ashore at South City Beach on September 28, which triggered a week-long operation that involved specialist contractors, heavy machinery, beach closures and the mobilisation of 76 Town of Cambridge employees.
The town’s response costs are forecast to reach to about $180,000 excluding GST, covering crane and excavator operations, transport and disposal, security, traffic management, beach remediation, water-quality testing and staff costs.
At a press conference on September 30, Cambridge Mayor Gary Mack described the effort as a “big operation” and had estimated it would cost between $60,00 to $100,000.
“That’s just an estimate at this time, and much depends, obviously, on the cost of having the workers down here, the cost of the contractors,” Mr Mack said at the time.
Cr Mayes said the town had requested that the carcass be towed offshore, but was not supported by the State agencies, leaving the council to do a land-based removal.
“Town of Cambridge ratepayers should not inherit the operational and financial burden for this incident simply because winds and currents bring a carcass to our beach,” he said in the reasons accompanying his motion.
“It is unreasonable to expect local ratepayers to foot the bill for this significant unbudgeted expenditure.”
Under the State’s current policy, responsibly disposing of a whale carcass generally rests with the relevant land manager, which means councils can be left carrying both the financial and operational burdens when a carcass washes upon a local government-managed beach.
In response to Cr Mayes’ motion, the town’s administration has backed the motion, saying the incident exposed the need for a consistent statewide framework with clear responsibilities, specialist resources and funding arrangements.
According to the town, the operation required coordination with six State Government agencies, including the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, WA Police, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, Main Roads and the Department of Health.
The town also said it had approached State agencies about financial assistance but was advised requests should be processed through the Treasurer’s Office.
On September 30, Deputy Premier and Treasurer Rita Saffioti publicly stated that the cost of the operation was significant and unusual and that the State Government was willing to engage with the town.
Administration said no commitment to provide the funding had be made at the time of the agenda preparation.
In 2014, the City of Stirling spent around $188,000 removing a humpback whale carcass from Scarborough Beach, with the State Government contributing half the cost.
The Shire of Waroona also paid around $20,000 to remove a whale carcass from Preston Beach in 2023 and also asked for State assistance.
Council is expected to make a decision on the motion at their October 27 meeting.