A senate inquiry launched by Greens Senator Scott Ludlam on the controversial Beeliar Wetlands Roe 8 development has recommended work be halted immediately.

Senator Ludlam labelled the move by Premier Colin Barnett to push forward with the unpopular development ‘shocking’ and ‘unmandated’, and said the project was causing great damage to the area.

“In the very short term we’re quite focused on the fact that the alternative parties of government between the Labor party and the Greens are against the project, even though they’ve started doing works on site doing a hideous amount of damage.

Senator Ludlam looked to the election to change the focus around the projected Roe 8 and 9 area.

“If there’s a new government installed on March 11 then we can start talking about rehabilitation and pedestrianising the strip that they have cleared and a proper, hundred-year regrowth program.”

“If we roll Barnett out of office we can protect the rest of the stuff they haven’t hit yet and not have it be covered in concrete.”

Greens leader Senator Richard Di Natale spoke of having visited the site and being profoundly disturbed by the wetland destruction and the lack of public mandate by the Barnett government.

“What an appalling act of spite by the government knowing you’re a few weeks away from an election, you don’t have a mandate yet to go ahead with it, and yet you bring the bulldozers in; it’s just disgraceful,” said Senator Di Natale.

“Those spaces in our suburbs are so precious—we’re losing them because of the pressures of development; you’ve got these banksia woodlands, wetlands—you can’t afford to lose those.”