Whyalla residents poll rejects industry on the Point Lowly peninsula
The Save Point Lowly Group asked all the attendees at last Wednesdays Council Forum on the proposed BHP Billiton Desalination plant planned for the Point Lowly peninsula, to complete a poll on their thoughts about Point Lowly and the issues surrounding the proposed industry.
The group estimated a turn out of 120 residents but a head count showed 136 people attended the forum. 120 ballot slips were handed out and 76 were returned. The council gets a pat on the back for organising the forum as 91% of respondents said that the forum was helpful.
On the question of what the Point Lowly peninsula should be used for, only 4% said industry. 89% said recreation, 80% said tourism, and 89% said Marine reserve and 59% for fishing and aquaculture. This is almost identical to the previous poll conducted by council late last year, where 87% of respondents said no to industry on Point Lowly.
When it came to what industry should be permitted on the Point Lowly peninsula, only 1% said a desalination plant was acceptable, compared to 9% for a diesel refinery and 3% for a new port.
On the question of what the Cuttlefish meant to the Point Lowly peninsula, only 4% said they would survive if the peninsula were industrialised. 77% said the cuttlefish were important, 75% said they were a tourist attraction and 33% said they were the main reason for conserving the Point Lowly peninsula.
On the question of whether the Whyalla Council was doing a good job, the residents were asked to rate the Whyalla Council on a 1 to 5 scale, with 1 being terrible, 2 poor, 3 average, 4 good and 5 excellent. The average score for the Whyalla Council was 2.
There was a lot of debate in the Whyalla Council about whether this forum was fair to BHP Billiton, with Councillor Colin Carter proposing that the forum be cancelled at the last minute. The residents said that Councillor Carter was wrong to oppose the forum with only 5% saying that the forum was unfair to BHP Billiton and 91% saying it was helpful to them.
The lighthouse is the Point Lowly peninsula icon, used for the Save Point Lowly logo and extensively in the Whyalla Council tourism advertising. The residents were asked to rate the significance of the lighthouse on a 1 to 4 scale with 1 being insignificant and 4 being highly significant. The average response was 3.66 indicating that residents regarded the lighthouse as highly significant. It has not gone unnoticed that the Whyalla Council is downgrading the tourist potential of the lighthouse by turning the light off. Residents were asked if the light should be left on or off and 79% said it should be left on. The council is also working hard to deter tourists staying on the Point Lowly peninsula by reducing the length of time they are permitted to stay there. Residents were asked if they thought tourists should be allowed to stay on the Point Lowly peninsula and 85% said yes.
The poll showed that that residents thought the Whyalla Council was not only doing a poor job but was totally out of touch with the wishes of the residents of Whyalla. The poll is a wake up call for the Whyalla Council with a clear message that they should make some changes to their position. Whyalla residents have overwhelmingly said:
1. The Whyalla Council need to start representing the residents views.
2. No further industry on the Point Lowly peninsula.
3. The Point Lowly peninsula to be used for recreation, tourism, conservation and fishing.
4. The Giant Cuttlefish is important to the residents and tourism.
5. The light on the lighthouse to be turned on.
6. Tourists to be encouraged to stay at Point Lowly.
Lights back on
The Whyalla Council has turn the Point Lowly Lighthouse light back on with a dimmer yellow light