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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-09-03 Daily Xml
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Coastline Protection

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (15:14): My question is to the Minister for Environment. Can the minister inform the house if there are any plans to use artificial reefs to protect our South Australian coastline? With your leave, Mr Speaker, and the leave of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr McBRIDE: After recent storms and the damage that has occurred along the South Australian coastline, plus the government supports of the artificial reefs to build new habitats after the algal bloom, is there a potential to protect our coastline from further storm damage?

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Minister for Workforce and Population Strategy) (15:14): I am delighted to have been asked this question, because what we have discovered collectively in South Australia is the impact of the loss of shellfish reefs along our coastline over 100 to 150 years ago, for which we are now paying the price.

We had about 1,500 linear kilometres of native oyster beds and reefs along our coastline. What they did was each oyster can filter a bathtub of water every day. They eat algae. The reefs themselves encourage fish nurseries, seagrass growth and, because of both of those, they slow down the energy in waves and therefore mitigate heavy winter storms. All of that was here in place a couple of hundred years ago, and in 150 years it's gone, and we need to work out ways in which we can bring that back.

Now, there have been examples already of that occurring. We have got five artificial reefs that have been put in place, one off Ardrossan that is a particularly substantial one and has done very, very well. The Premier recently announced that there will be 15 smaller shellfish reefs that will be built over 15 hectares over the next little while that will be part of helping to restore our seas in response to the algal bloom.

But I think we should share an ambition to do even more over time, because there can be no regrets about bringing back the shellfish, there can only be benefits. It is a reminder to us not just of this example but the truth that nature looks after us, nature cares for us, it softens the harm of climate change and it protects us from algal blooms and other disasters. Therefore, we must look after nature in order to receive that benefit.

If we learn anything from this bloom, it shouldn't just be the specific example and instance of the bloom, it should be the greater story, which is that we must look after nature better. We can help restore nature, and we will all benefit as a result.

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