Nearly three decades after the mine’s closure, Wittenoom residents were still receiving conflicting messages about the town’s safety.

In 1993, while the Government was closing the nearby airport and refusing to connect new tenants to water and electricity, Hancock and Wright was selling its land to unsuspecting buyers across the country; politicians were promising local residents that the town would be cleaned up and developed for tourism purposes; and most upsettingly, 40,000 tourists were still visiting each year.

If an estimated 40,000 tourists were exposed in 1993, how many more would it by 2021? It is absolutely essential we have a memorial in Karijini National Park to not only remember those lost to deadly asbestos diseases but also as a deterrent to those tourists still wanting to visit Wittenoom and its spectacular gorges.

We finally have a draft Wittenoom Closure Bill to be introduced into WA Parliament this year.

Please help us encourage the Government to fund these two memorials in Perth and the Pilbara as part of the Wittenoom Closure Bill.