Westport is the Western Australian Government’s long-term plan to address future container trade constraints by relocating container trade from Fremantle to Kwinana, supported by a new port facility and an integrated road and rail network.
NTRO was recently engaged to independently review the Westport Program against the globally recognised ‘Working with Nature’ framework - an approach that encourages major infrastructure projects to work with nature, rather than simply on nature.
Our review found strong alignment with the principles established by the Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses (PIANC), with environmental considerations embedded throughout planning, design development, stakeholder engagement and decision-making processes.
Importantly, the review highlights how environmental outcomes have been considered as a core project objective from the earliest stages of planning, rather than as a standalone regulatory-focussed objective. The review also recognised the significant body of work undertaken by the Westport team and team of experts, including rigorous scientific investigations, comprehensive technical assessments, and deep stakeholder engagement that have informed and shaped the program's development.
As part of this work, NTRO delivered two major technical reports, together with a summary document designed to communicate key findings, observations and lessons learned for a broader audience.
Georgia O’Connor, Senior Environmental Engineer with NTRO, provides an overview of the review findings and explains how Westport has successfully applied the Working with Nature framework throughout Program Stages 1–3.
"Congratulations to the Westport team on their commitment to evidence-based planning and their successful implementation of this globally recognised approach. At NTRO, we are proud to support infrastructure projects that seek to balance economic prosperity, community benefit and environmental sustainability", said Jason Sprott (Executive Director – Ports & Airports).
View the full summary document below.
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