Special legislation is being drafted to allow the West Australian Government to forcibly remove the last few remaining residents from the asbestos-ridden former township of Wittenoom.

At least three people still live permanently in the Pilbara locality, which was de-gazetted as a town in 2007, and six people own up to 21 freehold lots.

But the Government cannot currently compulsorily acquire their land because under existing laws, that can only occur to make way for public works.

Lands Minister Terry Redman wants extra powers to finally clear Wittenoom, almost 50 years since blue asbestos mining stopped there, if he still cannot convince residents to leave.

Cabinet has given him permission to draft legislation that would no longer require public works to buy private land.

"I've taken to Cabinet, support for drafting up legislation specific to the Wittenoom area to be able to compulsorily acquire, to basically resolve this issue once and for all," Mr Redman told the ABC.

'One of the most significant industrial disasters in WA'

He said the first priority would be to try and convince the remaining residents to sell their land to the Government and leave "one of the most significant industrial disasters, quite frankly, in Western Australia".

"In order to fully close the area and cut it off and stop access to visitors and others who would get exposed to those risk issues, then we need those people not living there so we can close the site," Mr Redman said.

Peter Heyward, who has lived in Wittenoom for 23 years and has rejected previous offers to buy his house, described the proposed new legislation as a "scare tactic".

"If they could do that they would already have done it," Mr Heyward said.

"We have no intention of moving.

"The Government don't make any offer that's anywhere near [worth] thinking about.

"It takes a lot to beat it up here."

Mr Heyward loves the beauty of the Hamersley Ranges and the vast silence.

He said readings of asbestos levels in the air were minimal.

"That's why they don't publish it," he said.

"St Georges Terrace in Perth has a higher level that Wittenoom does.

"Wittenoom is the scapegoat.

"Between me and the kangaroos, we don't disturb [the asbestos] much."

Report due before Christmas

More than 2,000 people who worked or lived at Wittenoom have died from asbestos-related diseases, according to the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia.

Mr Redman's preferred option to managing the asbestos is to find a way to secure it on site at Wittenoom.

He is due to be presented with a Department of Lands report before Christmas outlining the best options.

Contractors hired by the Department of Lands have been digging test pits at Wittenoom Gorge, near the old mine site, and around the former township, to test the soil type and determine the water table and bed rock levels.

"We've been undertaking geotechnical assessments of what the town is like but also what the tailing sites are like and how we can develop remediation for those particular sites, bearing in mind this is the Southern Hemisphere's most contaminated site," Department of Lands Director General Colin Slattery told a parliamentary committee hearing this week.

"We only go into that town with moon suits on and we try to discourage anyone else from going in there."

