WA govt says the South Coast Marine Park will rival the Great Barrier Reef

Sue Leighton has been celebrating this region's natural beauty for decades. You get 360° view. With Ravensolp and Hopeton. Already famous for wildflowers, she thinks the new marine park will boost the region's environmental credentials. Small footprint tourism to me is the way I think we should go and I think that will help. But others say upgrades to infrastructure are needed before the new park opens. This is our main bike launching facility for for our area. It's a little bit dated and not safe in all weather conditions if we don't get the the coastal access. Right then, we just won't see the full potential of it realised after a local mine closure left hundreds out of a job. Tourism is more important than ever. Tourism is the real opportunity here. I believe the state government says the Ningaloo Marine Park in was N supports almost 1000 full time jobs and brings a billion dollars to the local economy. It says the South Coast Marine Park could have a similar impact, but with accommodation shortages here in Esperance, there's concerns there just won't be anywhere for tourists to stay. And there are differing opinions about where the fishing restrictions in the marine park will deter visitors. We're really keen to see a 200 metre set back which would push that marine park boundary back 200 metres off the coast and allow people to continue to wet a line on these popular and favorite beaches. Others are confident those challenges can be overcome. There's currently no evidence to show that a marine park would prevent people from wanting to come, but it does show that it would actually attract that higher value visitor moving forward. The State government is expected to release its final marine park plans later this year after public submissions close on Sunday.