West Australian authorities knew a jetty had suffered "extensive damage" and had no viable long-term future prior to spending almost half a million dollars on refurbishing it as an election promise.

An engineers' report obtained under Freedom of Information reveals the jetty selected to hold Bunbury's accessible fishing platform was infested with wood borers and near the end of its practical life.

The $457,000 refurbished jetty was open for less than three years before it had to be written off. 

At the time, Southern Ports said it was due to its piles degrading at a rate that was "beyond original expectations".

"Earlier refurbishments of the Bunbury Fishing Platform undertaken in 2020 were focused on the jetty deck, which was required to be addressed at that time," its website said. 

Member for Bunbury Don Punch told the ABC earlier this year that "nobody could foresee that those piles were in the state that they were in at the time".

But a condition assessment by engineering firm Wallbridge Gilbert Aztec delivered to Southern Ports in November 2019 indicated clearly that the jetty was on borrowed time and recommended the structure be ultimately decommissioned.

"With the extent of damage, repair of the jetty may not be feasible," the report concluded.

The report found 12 per cent of the timber piles had advanced or very advanced deterioration and recommended replacing them as a first priority. 

"Wood borer damage is evident in most piles," it said.

"In addition to causing damage themselves, wood borers cause an increase rate of degradation of the piles by increasing the surface area of the timber."

Despite the report's findings, authorities pushed ahead and opened the jetty to the public, declaring the former McGowan government's promise to the city complete.

'Misuse' of money 

When the jetty location was announced in 2020, the state government said it had been selected as the most suitable option after extensive consultation with local council and community groups. 

Deputy Opposition Leader Colin de Grussa said he wanted to know who was ultimately responsible for the decision to spend almost half a million dollars of taxpayers' money refurbishing a jetty authorities knew was not viable long-term.

The Nationals MP said it would be "staggeringly surprising" if the Department of Transport had not been made aware of the report. 

Southern Ports told the ABC this week that it understood the fishing platform, which has since been transferred to the Department of Transport, was not included in the department's long-term development plans for the area.

"As such, the platform was always expected to be demolished within five to 10 years," a spokesperson said. 

It maintained that its piles had degraded faster than expected and it would be demolished in the next 18–24 months.

Sceptical over new jetty promises

The WA government recently announced $4 million in funding for a new fishing platform in Bunbury, though construction was unlikely to start for two years.

Local fisher Marcus Meanwell said he was hopeful about the commitment but felt a lot of time and money had been wasted so far.

Bruce Olsen, who has fished in the area since he was seven, said he felt Bunbury's recreational fishing community was regularly snubbed.

The 72-year-old said as a result, his home city had become one of the worst areas on the state's long coastline for the sport. 

Mr Olsen said Southern Ports was broadly unpopular among the local fishing community due to restricting access to key fishing spots.

"I think Bunbury's been held at ransom pretty much by the port authority," he said.

"They've just taken so much from us and given us virtually very little back."

City of Bunbury mayor Jaysen Miguel said he could not comment on the report as he had not read it, but acknowledged the city's lack of a public jetty had long been a source of frustration for the community.