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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-07-07 Daily Xml
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Coastal Management

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (15:16): I rise today to speak about an issue of growing concern to my community—the condition of our local beaches and coastline. Prior to the 2018 election, I spoke on numerous occasions about the need for a long-term solution for the issue of longshore drift on our northern beaches. From government, we tasked the environment department with development of this plan. I stress that the Liberal Party did not put forward the solution. Independent experts in the department did. We funded the solution, a three-part approach: mass replenishment at West Beach, a pipeline to recycle sand that has moved north and is accumulating, and a package of activities to plant out and care for the newly rebuilt dunes.

We knew that this issue needed to have immediate action, as erosion was moving northwards from West Beach. We needed to provide an ability to get sand to beaches that are not easily accessible by truck—for example, Henley South and Henley—as the degradation that was seen at West Beach was moving northwards quickly. Sadly, despite installing a similar pipeline on the southern section of beaches between Glenelg and Kingston Park themselves roughly eight years ago to deal with this northward movement of sand, the Labor Party actively campaigned against a long-term solution to this issue.

The Liberal Party did not come to government with a predetermined idea of what the solution needed to be. As I said, the experts did the work, and significant consultation was undertaken. Planning permissions were sought, and construction and operation contracts had been signed. The rebuild and nourishment of West Beach had begun. For those who live at or visited West Beach this summer, for the first time in nearly 20 years there was a high tide dry beach in front of the surf club.

Then the election happened—a Labor government, and what has happened since? Large-scale fill into West Beach stopped. The pipeline that had sand discharge points into Henley had its construction contract torn up. Instead, we have a minister who has had to declare a conflict of interest, who has had to step away from decision-making on the issue, who did not answer any questions in estimates but was happy to speak on ABC radio.

We now have another review. Multiple reviews have already been conducted on this issue over the past 30 years, and now nearly four months into the life of this government it has not even started. We do not know what the review will be considering, if any new options are even being proposed or even the time frame of when the government plans to do anything above a level of yearly nourishment. We found out today in the other place that the new minister tasked with the responsibility for the coastline has not even met with the department.

Before the election, my community had certainty. They had a long-term solution and a fix was literally underway. Instead, now we have delay and no action. On the back of another storm, we have West Beach and now Henley South and Henley Beach under threat, with multiple beach access points having to be closed last week, old infrastructure exposed and the whole dune system through Henley South virtually gone.

Our community is not going to stand by and let the Labor Party delay, to sit and watch our beaches disappear—you can be very sure of that. Every bit of science clearly shows that sand from West Beach, from Henley South, from Henley and from Grange moves north. You only have to look at a picture of the Semaphore jetty from 30 years ago versus today to draw that conclusion for yourself.

Minister, be sensible. We do not mind how it comes back—in fact, we are completely agnostic on that. But if the southern beaches can have a permanent solution, why not the northern section of beaches? Something must be done by this government now before our beaches literally disappear. It needs to be a priority and one thing is very clear: this is not a priority for this Labor government.

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