Instead, the government will look to planning and zoning controls to protect the region, Mr Barnett told members of the Save Our South West group on Saturday when he arrived to open the new Augusta-Margaret River Shire office.

However, protection controls or zones will not be implemented until the Vasse Coal Project’s application for environmental approval for a proposed coal mine off Osmington Road is concluded, he said.

Although Environment Min­ister Bill Marmion upheld the Environment Protection Auth­ority’s rejection of the application, he is required to consult with Mining Minister Norman Moore and other government agencies, and that was happening now, Mr Barnett said.

Disappointingly for 60 objectors to seven exploration licence applications by Western Coal, the protection controls and zonings are also unlikely to be in place before they are due to appear in the Warden’s Court on March 1.

Some of the objectors, with homes, farms and businesses in the area from Cowaramup to Kaloorup and Metricup to Treeton, and their supporters, met Mr Barnett, when he arrived to open the shire administration and civic centre, with 60 tropical water lilies provided by LeucaCreek Water Lilies of Metricup, one of the properties covered by exploration licence application 70/4079.

Kathy Cameron presented her water lilies to Mr Barnett and explained that they were symbolic of people’s concerns about the impact mining and exploration could have on the underground water supplies the region relied upon.

Ms Cameron said Mr Barnett acknowledged the importance of protecting the water supply.

Mr Barnett later told the Mail that while he had originally said the government would consider introducing special protective legislation, like that for the Swan Valley, he had since been advised “that was not the way to go”.

“A more effective way to proceed is to use planning and rezoning” to protect the wine region,” he said.

Mr Barnett said the government was “very conscious” of concerns about water.

Augusta-Margaret River Shire Council and Busselton City Council have adopted a “protective legislation directions paper” identifying possible amendments to the Mining and the Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Resources Acts, and to the South West Planning Framework and the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge Statement of Planning Policy.