Sand Dredging

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (15:31): I rise today to provide an update in relation to a significant issue in my local area, but before doing that, as other members have done to this point, I would like to recognise the significant work and contribution of the many carers in South Australia. This National Carers Week we, as a house, and I am sure as you have become very quickly aware across the whole of this parliament, both sides of the aisle recognise your contributions. Although varied and diverse and often very personal, your experiences are all very different and we thank you for your significant contributions both to those you care for and our broader community.

I provide an update today in regard to an important issue: the ongoing battle to save our beaches and secure a solution to address longshore drift and the associated erosion issues at West Beach and Henley Beach South. To provide a short recount of the events to this point, shortly after the Labor government were elected, they tore up the contract for a long-term solution that had been put in place and instead opted to pursue a desktop review and standup panel to provide recommendations to the government.

That review, unfortunately, was significantly delayed, with the recommendations released more than two years after Labor came to power. The key recommendation of the panel was to, and I quote, 'recycle sand between northern beaches and West Beach' with the panel outlining dredging or recycling pipeline options to do this.

On 24 May this year, the Hon. Kyam Maher, the minister responsible for the dredging trial, due to conflict of interest issues raised by the Deputy Premier, said, and I quote:

The two-month dredging program will collect sand from a nearshore zone between Taperoo and North Haven and deliver it by barge to West Beach where it will be pumped near the shoreline to wash onto the beach.

However, just a couple of weeks ago, on 27 September, the Labor government announced their intention to dredge only 10,000 cubic metres from North Haven and instead dredge 80,000 cubic metres of sand from nearshore sites at West Beach.

Understandably, my local community groups and beach advocates, many of whom have taken part in the ongoing consultation process around the dredging trial were blindsided and shocked by this announcement. The West Beach Surf Life Saving Club, the Adelaide Sailing Club, the Henley Sailing Club, the Henley Surf Life Saving Club, as well as sand and dune advocacy groups and individuals, penned an open letter to the Premier outlining their concerns with this plan. Concerns outlined in that letter and subsequent communications include:

that dredging sand near shore of West Beach was not a recommendation of the Labor government's own review or the coastal engineer;

that West Beach is acknowledged as highly eroded and that dredging could further disrupt and compromise the fragile beach profile;

that no long-term offshore sand source for recycling sand from the northern beaches has been identified to this point, so why risk further damage at West Beach; and finally

that there has been no environmental impact statement or consultation with the community on the sudden change to the trial nor was dredging at West Beach ever considered by previous reports or the panel.

It is clear that my community are rightfully angry about the nature of how this trial has been significantly changed at short notice. They feel blindsided by that decision and question why, when recommendations of the government's own panel have been presented, the option chosen has flown in the face of that. I am encouraging everybody that has an interest in ensuring that West Beach, Henley Beach South and the beaches within my electorate are in the best shape possible, to contact the Premier, to provide your thoughts on this trial and the nature of the consultation that has led us to this point.

This issue has gone on for far too long. I will always and have always advocated for a sensible solution and I will always back my local community. Please, if you have the opportunity, contact the Premier on this issue and ensure that he knows the views of our local community. It is very rare that so many of our local community groups and clubs would have this level of concern and that the government would proceed without listening to those voices. I encourage all those in this house to consider that as well.