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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-11-17 Daily Xml
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GRANITE ISLAND

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (15:42): I wish to raise an important issue in relation to South Australian tourism infrastructure; that is, the causeway to Granite Island in my electorate of Finniss. The South Coast, the Fleurieu Peninsula and, in particular, Victor Harbor are visited by hundreds of thousands of people every year. They enjoy the Granite Island experience, whether it is to walk over the causeway to visit the penguins at night or fish off the jetty. A business is operating on the island, along with the penguins, and there is a cafe. Professional and recreational fishermen use the jetty.

These things are being put at risk because of the current state and condition of the causeway to Granite Island. Let me make it quite clear: Granite Island causeway is an icon in South Australia. It is not a heritage icon because it has changed so much from the original that it can no longer be considered heritage. However, in the minds of people it is a heritage item.

Having said that, let me say that I have inspected it and I have had information given to me. Along with Mr Brian Spilsbury—a former mayor of Victor Harbor who heads up a committee on the island—I have observed the condition of the pylons and railings. The years have caught up with the structure, and unless immediate planning and budgeting is undertaken by the Rann Labor government there will be a crisis in relation to the link to Granite Island in the not too distant future. I am not talking about maintenance which has been allocated for next year and which is already in the budget. I am talking about a more serious matter, that is, the long-term future of the causeway to Granite Island. Community groups and individuals are expressing the view that, unless urgent work is carried out, the causeway will be unusable for pedestrians, the much loved horse tram, fishermen servicing their vessels from the jetty, tour operators and hospitality providers, as mentioned earlier.

I believe that an urgent audit and marine inspection should be the first step and then we should proceed, as suggested by Mr Spilsbury, to build an adjoining structure to the east to take vehicular traffic to Granite Island and maintain the existing causeway perhaps for pedestrian use only. I think that is a very good idea from Mr Spilsbury and it is one that needs attention.

It needs fixing for reasons of iconic status and tourism business. It does not need procrastination. We cannot have the situation arise in one year, three years or even five years where the Granite Island causeway is taken right out of the equation for 12 months and restricts all those operations. I think that we need to be planning now. I believe that, in the best interests of everyone, the government needs to undertake an urgent audit of this facility and start planning for a duplication of it, as suggested by Mr Spilsbury. I think it is an extremely good suggestion of his, and it comes from experience. He has lived in the district for many years, if not all his life. He is a respected citizen and still heads the current committee that oversees Granite Island. He has had a lot of experience in this matter.

As I said, immediate remedial work is to be carried out, but that will not be enough. That work is to commence in April, as I understand it, after the main holiday period. Pedestrian traffic will be restricted in places to only single person gangways. Over the next few years, tens of thousands of people—probably millions—will visit the south and Victor Harbor and will walk out to Granite Island and, indeed, will ride on the horse tram, which is a wonderful institution, as I said earlier.

I believe this is an urgent matter that the government needs to consider. I say this in the best interests of bipartisanship. It is not just because it is in my electorate; it is because it is a fundamental piece of infrastructure in South Australia. I know that many of the members in this place have walked out to Granite Island or have gone out on the horse tram. I ask that this matter be put on notice. I will be writing to the Minister for Transport immediately to raise the matter with him and to seek some support for duplicating this structure. This is a different situation, and I need expeditious help on it.

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