By Jessica Page
A bitter argument has broken out in State Parliament as questions mount over the trail of damage left behind by the shot hole borer and whether it could have been stopped.
Labor MP Cassie Rowe called Nationals MP Lachlan Hunter 鈥渞ude鈥, as he interrupted a response to ask whether 鈥済ag orders鈥 were imposed on local governments.
鈥淪eriously? The member is so arrogant he will not even listen to members,鈥 Ms Rowe said.
She later accused Mr Hunter of 鈥渕ansplaining鈥, during questions over sheep numbers and the impact of the Federal Government鈥檚 looming live export ban on an electronic tracing system.
鈥淭his is just a soliloquy from the member,鈥 Ms Rowe said.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e just mansplaining to us and there is no relevance to this.鈥
The extent of devastation inflicted by the invasive beetle was earlier revealed in Budget estimates, with officials confirming 115 trees had be cut down at Perth Zoo, 99 trees were felled at Kings Park and 15 trees lost on Rottnest island.
Another 220 trees have been lost in metropolitan parks, including Herdsman Lake.
鈥淎 lot of those were very small trees, but nonetheless any tree is a loss,鈥 Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions director-general Stuart Smith told Parliament on Tuesday night.
鈥淪ome were substantial trees, so those ones are being replaced. A bit like in the other locations, they are being replaced with natives where appropriate.鈥
In total, more than 4000 trees have been removed as a result of the shot-hole borer with the majority of those on residential land.
Perth Zoo said the 115 trees lost to the borer are a small percentage of the site鈥檚 tree canopy and a remediation program is being put in place.
鈥淧erth Zoo鈥檚 tree population is in excess of 1700,鈥 DBCA director Danielle Henry said.
This does not appear to be a silver bullet, but we will continue to try different technologies.
鈥淥ur gardens are as loved by the people of Perth as our animals. It鈥檚 an urban city oasis . . . The State Government has provided funding for Perth Zoo to secure mature tree stock.鈥
Department officials told a Budget estimates hearing that a tree replacement program at Perth Zoo is 鈥済oing well鈥 and that the rate of tree loss has slowed, though that is likely only a temporary reprieve.
鈥淭hat may also be partly due to the time of year, because the polyphagous shot-hole borer does not cope particularly well in colder climates, so the spread is not so high at this time of the year,鈥 Mr Smith said.
He conceded chemical treatments have not worked.
鈥淣one of them have yet been proven successful,鈥 Mr Smith said.
鈥淭his does not appear to be a silver bullet, but we will continue to try different technologies.鈥
The Opposition has accused the Cook Government of being slow to react, after it was confirmed WA will transition to a 鈥渕anagement鈥 strategy instead because eradication is no longer 鈥渢echnically feasible鈥.
鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 listen and now they鈥檝e raised the white flag,鈥 Liberal leader Basil Zempilas said on Wednesday.
鈥淭his is a biosecurity disaster of their making. They鈥檝e spend tens of millions of dollars of taxpayers鈥 money to no avail. The result is that Perth has lost thousands of trees including mature trees in iconic locations.
鈥淎nd local governments are left holding the baby, trying to desperately control this pest.鈥
Mr Zempilas repeated calls for Agriculture minister Jackie Jarvis to be sacked for 鈥渕ishandling鈥 the issue.
In Parliament on Tuesday night, Nationals MP Kirrilee Warr pressed the Government on when the biosecurity risk was first identified, but parliamentary secretary Kim Giddens couldn鈥檛 provide a date.
鈥淚 do not have that exact level of detail,鈥 she said.
鈥淚 would hesitate to even give an approximate. It is a question the member could consider putting on notice.鈥
A $150 rebate for households to plant trees is part of plans to boost Perth鈥檚 tree canopy, but no date has been set to roll that out.
鈥淲e are very close to launch,鈥 Mr Smith said.