Question Time

Sandmining

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:29): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Environment a question about sandmining at West Beach.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.L. Brokenshire: Sandmining?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Sand shifting. Last week, I met with some concerned stakeholders about the sandmining operation currently taking place at West Beach. The primary concern is that they believe the data being used to map the sand dune line was incorrect and that subsequently the current sandmining practices are not effectively repairing or maintaining the sand dunes. To this end, they also highlighted the fact that the sand dune had been so badly damaged and washed away that there are now rocks in lieu of sand dunes in cell 3 of West Beach.

As the minister would be aware, sand on our metropolitan beaches naturally travels north up the coastline over time and it is their assertion that sand from West Beach is being lost in this process and that the mining of sand from the north end of West Beach to the south end is not adequately replacing the amount of sand that is being lost. They are concerned that the current practices are not sustainable and that, if this continues, it could see irreparable damage done to West Beach. They presented photos of West Beach during June receding well beyond the line of yellow posts which are supposed to mark where the sand dunes should exist.

In the government's June 2004 publication 'Do Adelaide's beaches need help?', pocket beaches are mentioned as a possible solution to preserve Adelaide's metropolitan beaches. It is also their concern that West Beach may become a pocket beach which will significantly affect the local community and also the future of the West Beach Surf Life Saving Club. My questions are:

1. Has the minister received any advice from his department about the success, or otherwise, of the current sandmining or sand shifting practices at West Beach?

2. Will the minister commit to undertake a review of these sand moving practices at West Beach in light of the information that has been provided to me?

3. Can the minister confirm if the government is still considering creating pocket beaches on any of South Australia's metropolitan beaches?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (14:31): I thank the honourable Leader of the Opposition for his very important question. The government's 'Adelaide's Living Beaches—A Strategy for 2005-2025' document is about keeping sand on Adelaide's beaches and reducing the amount of sand carting that is required. The Sand Transfer Infrastructure Project is a component of the strategy involving permanent pipelines and pumping stations constructed along two sections of Adelaide's coastline to manage the movement of sand. Sand is now recycled more efficiently within management cells along our coastline, I am advised.

Due to finite sand reserves within Adelaide's metropolitan beaches, sand has to be redistributed from areas where it accumulates to areas where it erodes from. If we do not do this, many of our most popular beaches will lose the character that we all know and love. There are other important components of the strategy which include the integration of sand bypassing at harbours with beach management, the construction of coastal structures in critical locations and the addition of coarse sand from external sources.

In terms of erosion at West Beach, there are have been reports, I am advised, linking erosion at West Beach, in particular near the West Beach Surf Life Saving Club, to sand pumping in the area but, in fact, sand pumping undertaken by the department at West Beach is crucial to maintaining the beaches at this location. I am advised that sand pumping does not remove any sand from West Beach.

Sand is collected from dunes near the Torrens Outlet and is pumped back and deposited in front of the dunes between the West Beach Surf Life Saving Club and the Adelaide Shores Harbour. Waves naturally move the sand northwards, as the honourable member said in his explanation, along the coast, once again helping to maintain the beach at that location and further north. The dunes and the beach near the Torrens Outlet will recover as sand accumulates at that location again over time.

Mr President, you probably know this is a question that comes up in this place from time to time—almost annually. We know that with storm events the sand is treated very poorly and washed away revealing some rocky areas on our beaches but, again, those very selfsame storms will again push sand up the beaches and cover those areas once more. This is an annual natural event. We try to supplement that sand through our Intervention Through Engineering projects. Sand erosion at West Beach is not to be unexpected, especially, as I said, in stormy weather.

I am advised that the department has discussed this with local residents over the years when sand carting trucks were still being used, and in regard to whether they actually need more sand, I think the answer to that is probably yes. These questions about additional sand needs will be needed into the longer term future, particularly to deal with impacts of ongoing sea level rise. This is not something for us to be concerned about right now, but certainly something we should be planning for.

A position paper has been prepared by the Coast Protection Board and that was presented to me in May 2015 in this regard. The position paper does highlight the need for additional sand to be added to Adelaide's beaches and it raises a number of very high priority coastal management issues right across the state. In response to the position paper, I have asked my department to prepare a 10-year program of coastal management initiatives addressing issues raised by the Coast Protection Board including identification of required actions and their associated costs, not just in the metropolitan area but right around the state.

The PRESIDENT: Supplementary, the Hon. Mr Ridgway.