Ostensibly it is rationalised as a "quarantine measure" but the diseases that they are suggesting they are excluding are already known in collections in WA, and as we saw with the outbreak at the Australian Reptile Park some years ago, the casualties are not confined to pythons - elapids were very much included in the victim list. WA does allow the import of elapids...
Largely it's a measure to prevent the endemic south-west Morelia spilota imbricata from being genetically compromised by the import of large numbers of various varieties of eastern states Morelias, but dressed up as quarantine measure to make it feel like West Aussies are doing their bit ("heavy lifting???") for the conservation cause. If allowed, there would be a massive one-way traffic in Carpets & GTPs, and then you get the cross-breeders starting their fun & games. It's probably reasonable that this is tightly managed in my opinion.
Jamie
