Mr RANDALL —Last week in Perth, the Swan River saw an environmental accident which resulted in hundreds of dead fish surfacing at a particular point of the river, near Belmont in my electorate. Initially it was thought that algal bloom was responsible, but it was found that the cause was contaminants accidentally released through a broken hose. This emergency only serves to highlight the stringent controls necessary for effective river management and the impacts such accidents can have on the fragile ecosystem of rivers. I have been in contact with the Swan River Trust to ensure a proper inquiry will be undertaken into this matter, which it is.

The place responsible for the contaminants which killed the fish, the Belmont racecourse, has been contacted. They will bear the cost of cleaning up the contaminant sediments in the nearby drains. Unfortunately, we have to wait until natural processes can break down the other residue from the contaminants. We can only hope the impacts are not too destructive on the surviving fish stocks and spawn.

This is an issue I have taken up with the state government, which also has some responsibility in terms of sewering not only the racecourse but the nearby properties to prevent leeching and toxic environmental impacts. This must be done as a matter of urgency.

Also, in light of this most recent occurrence in the Swan River, I again have committed myself to local conservation groups, as well as local councils, to assist them to do whatever I can to protect our precious Swan River with the aid of this federal government's environmental initiative, the Natural Heritage Trust.