Legislative Council: Thursday, April 11, 2024

Contents

Adelaide Beach Management Review

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:08): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the Attorney in his role of having carriage of the portfolio of Adelaide Beach Management Review.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: In April 2022, now well over 400 days ago, the South Australian government announced that a comprehensive review of all available sand management options promised to ensure a long-term solution to find a way to put environment and community at the core of future activity to address sand replenishment on our metropolitan beaches. From April there proceeded to be over 300 days of consultation.

According to the Coast Protection Board evidence to a standing committee this week, the report from that consultation was placed in the minister's inbox and sent to him in December last year. That is now well over 100 days in his inbox. My questions to the minister are:

1. When will an announcement be made with regard to the results of the Adelaide Beach Management Review?

2. Have any measures commenced to be implemented from the report that he has received?

3. When will the portfolio responsibility be returned to the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:10): I thank the honourable member for her questions and her interest in this area. I might start with the last one first. As the member points out, this isn't my usual portfolio area. As has been mentioned in here before, the Deputy Premier, the member for Port Adelaide, the Hon. Susan Close, declared a conflict in relation to being a decision-maker on the beach review as her home is very proximate to areas to be affected by whatever result happens in relation to this.

I don't have the date, but I think it was towards late December that a report was forwarded to the government. It had the results of community consultation and the initial scientific review of possible options. Since then, I know there have been quite a few meetings and other work is being undertaken to look at the options that are being provided. Of course, there are many considerations when you consider different ways to manage our coast's sand line, and there were a number of options that went out to public consultation.

I look forward to, in the coming weeks, further steps being taken and the release of information as soon as we possibly can after having assessed what the impacts of the suggestions in the report will be.