Question Time

Tennyson Dunes

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:21): I seek leave to make an explanation before asking the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation some questions about the Tennyson Dunes Coast Park proposal.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: The Tennyson Dunes are a rare example of a high quality tertiary dune system found on Adelaide's coastline. Recognising the ecological significance of the area, the minister declared the Tennyson Dunes as a conservation reserve under the Crown Land Management Act in September 2015.

In 2015, the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources released a Tennyson Dunes Coast Park concept report for a 1.5 kilometre discovery trail through the dunes. The proposed $6.5 million path was planned to be built on council and state-owned land from Third Avenue, Semaphore Park, in the north, through the Tennyson Dunes to Terminus Street, Grange.

It is important to emphasise that, contrary to statements made by the member for Lee, the Liberal Party is supportive of a coast park and supports a low-impact trail being constructed through the dunes. However, unlike the member for Lee and the state Labor government, the Liberal Party has listened to the community and in particular the detailed consultation process, which showed that the community supports a low-impact path which is sympathetic to the natural environment.

It now appears that the government and the member for Lee support a concrete path, which will do untold damage to the dune system. This is nothing short of a backflip from the member for Lee, who wrote to the City of Charles Sturt council on 7 October 2016, stating:

I have previously written to you (13/6) outlining my preferred option for the remaining sections of the path—being one that is narrower (less than three metres), less impactful path constructed of natural materials—as I believe this would allow for a path that meets the accessibility, pedestrian and cycling requirements of the coast park, while being sympathetic to the unique coastal environments in these sections.

It is interesting that the member for Lee has now made an about-turn and supports an environmentally destructive concrete option. In completing my explanation, I emphasise that the Liberal Party supports the continuation of the coast park through the Tennyson Dunes but believes that there are better ways of delivering it; in particular, ways which will not impact on the fragile environment.

My question to the minister is: can he explain why he and the government have backflipped on the previous position as outlined in his letter to the Chief Executive of the City of Charles Sturt, Mr Mark Withers, on 20 November 2013, where he stated:

Given the high level of community concern that has also been expressed regarding any proposed construction of a shared pathway through the Dunes as part of the Coast Park Project, it is the State Government's position that the continuation of the Coast Park Project will not be through the Tennyson Dunes.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (14:24): I thank the honourable member for his most important question, although I think he is a little muddled in his own mind about the Tennyson Dunes and the Tennyson Dunes conservation park area, for which I am responsible. The coast park, I think, falls under the responsibilities of the Minister for Planning in the other place. Let me speak a little about the part that I am responsible for, which is the conservation area.

Tennyson Dunes, as I have said in this place before, is a very important natural coastal reminder of the original dune system that was once common along the Adelaide metropolitan coastline. The Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, with the assistance of the Tennyson Dunes Group, has identified the biodiversity values of the conservation reserve through extensive surveys and assessments. The width of the dunes protects the last example of primary through to tertiary dune vegetation succession on the Adelaide Plains. This diverse and mature vegetation community creates the additional benefits of providing habitat for a range of fauna.

In March 2015, a biodiversity action plan was completed for Tennyson Dunes. In recognition of their significance and to protect this area for the future, I dedicated the Tennyson Dunes as a coastal conservation reserve under the Crown Lands Management Act 2009 on 13 September 2015. I think it was at the Tennyson Dunes Group's 20^th anniversary function.

I am advised that the dunes located to the north and south of the conservation reserve, which are not, as far as I am aware, part of my responsibilities in terms of the coast park organisation, will be considered for coast park inclusion. That is a matter for the Charles Sturt council and, as I said, the coast park itself is the responsibility of the Minister for Planning.

In terms of the consultation that the honourable member talked about, I know well the Tennyson Dunes working group, which is chaired by Professor Chris Daniels and includes staff from DEWNR, the City of Charles Sturt and members of the community, notably the Tennyson Dunes Group, which provided advice to me on the overall management of the Tennyson Dunes conservation reserve.

I am told that DEWNR regularly meets with Professor Daniels, as you would expect, to discuss the biodiversity and conservation issues of the Tennyson Dunes conservation reserve. Habitat restoration work, as defined in the biodiversity action plan for Tennyson Dunes, is now being undertaken by DEWNR, after consultation with the working group. This continues the ongoing investment in the dunes that was initiated by the Patawalonga and Torrens catchment water management boards and Coastcare as far back as the 1990s. I am pleased to advise that resourcing has been made available to undertake this restoration work through the Adelaide's Living Beaches program.

I am advised that DEWNR is currently investigating options for an environmentally sensitive path through the reserve. I am expecting a final report from DEWNR sometime in the near future. What we do in the coastal reserve in terms of an upgraded path will connect up with what happens with the coast park at either end of the coastal reserve. Again, that is a matter for the Charles Sturt council and the Minister for Planning, but we would like those connections to be planned together so that we can get a sympathetic and continuous form of the pathway itself.

It does not mean they need to be identical, because of the special nature of the conservation park and the other relationship with the coast park further down and up the coast. Nonetheless, my expectation is that, if not constructed at exactly the same time, they will be constructed in such a way that they work together in a seamless fashion.