Conservationists are calling for Western Australia's Penguin Island to be closed to tourists to protect its dwindling population. As debate continues over the best way to safeguard the little penguins, tourism operators say they’re still in the dark about a government promise for a new Discovery Centre in Rockingham.
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00:00It's a marine hub filled with creatures big and small, but Penguin Island off Rockingham
00:11has been the centre of heated debate between tourism operators, the state government and
00:16conservationists for years.
00:18The little penguin population here has dwindled to just 114, a 94% decline since 2007.
00:28Tourism operators believe a new Discovery Centre with a viewing on the mainland would
00:35balance conservation and tourist demand.
00:38Because otherwise people will take animals and they will start touching animals and they
00:42won't do it in the right respected way.
00:44Back in 2022 a McGowan Labor Government committed over $3 million to building a Discovery Centre
00:50here on the island, but after community backlash over environmental concerns that plan was
00:55scrapped and it was decided to build one on the mainland instead.
00:59It's been three years and that centre is still in the planning phase.
01:03In a statement the government says the development of a business case will inform future government
01:08direction for the project.
01:10We need to make sure that we don't have open slather, but you know we've had sustainable
01:16tourism on Penguin Island for decades and decades.
01:20But activists say more needs to be done now, calling for the island to be closed for a
01:24couple of years to allow the population to recover.
01:28They spruik a lot, education etc, well gee that's all very well and good to hear, but
01:37the elephant in the room is those creatures are being hounded.
01:43A new independent advisory body will meet for the first time in January to consider
01:48WA's Penguin Conservation Plan.