The Fisheries Department deployed equipment to catch and kill sharks before receiving the necessary federal government approval after a shark attack in Western Australia last month.
A government response to questions by Greens MLC Lyn McLaren in Parliament on Thursday disclosed details about the timeline of events that followed a shark attack on surfer Sean Pollard in Esperance on October 2.
Minister for Education Peter Collier responded on behalf of Premier Colin Barnett.
He told Parliament that drum lines were deployed about 90 minutes "prior to the Commonwealth exemption being received, however the Commonwealth was made fully aware of the action being taken by the state, which at all times was in the interest of public safety."
11am: shark attack
12pm: Premier notified of shark attack
12.05pm: WA government advised Federal Government of attack via telephone and of intention to seek permission
12:18pm: WA Fisheries Department deploys first drum line in waters near where attack occurred
12.23pm: Letter seeking approval sent from WA government to Federal government
12:25pm: WA Fisheries Department deploys second drum line in waters near where attack occurred
12:38pm: Updated letter seeking approval sent from WA government to Federal government with specific references to federal legislation
Mr Collier explained that the Director General of Fisheries was the one who made the decision to deploy the gear before approval was granted and even before a detailed application letter was sent.
"The decision to deploy capture gear was on the basis that a young man had suffered significant injuries as a result of a shark attack, the remote area involved and the high usage of the area given school holidays," Mr Collier told Parliament.
Two great white sharks were caught later that afternoon, after the exemption from the federal government was received by the WA government.
At the time of this attack, the state government's drum line program was the subject of a review by the Environmental Protection Authority, and the state government was required to get permission from the Federal government to deploy drum lines.
Following the conclusion of the review the state government can now defer back to the previous agreement which allowed the state government to kill great white sharks within state waters judged as an imminent threat, despite the species being protected.
While Ms McLaren was not outspokenly critical of the timeline of events she said the matter highlighted that "the whole idea of sharks posing an imminent threat has holes in it".
She said closing the beaches following the attack meant there was not a risk to people in the area and that no sharks had been spotted in the vicinity of the attack immediately following the incident.
Ms McLaren said it was unlikely that any shark caught could be proved to have attacked a human, and that a shark that had bitten a person was no more likely to bite another person.
Ms McLaren said the response of setting drum lines following an attack was more of a "disservice to the public" than anything because "it gives people a false sense that a beach is any safer after a shark is killed".
She said the risk of a shark attack did not change dramatically based on one shark attack in one area.
