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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-10-15 Daily Xml
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Motions

Southern Ocean Discovery Centre

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (16:14): I seek leave to move Notice of Motion, Private Business, No. 5 in a slightly amended form.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: I move:

That this council—

1. Applauds the vision and mission of the Southern Ocean Discovery Centre proponents to create a world-class marine education and tourism hub, inspiring South Australians and visitors to appreciate, protect and sustain the rich coastal and marine environments of the Great Southern Reef;

2. Acknowledges the support for the proposed Southern Ocean Discovery Centre to be built at Wara Wayingga-Tennyson Dunes Conservation Reserve;

3. Notes South Australia is the only state not to have a publicly accessible marine centre of this nature despite the fine but physically constrained work of the Marine Discovery Centre; and

4. Commends the proposal of the proponents of the Southern Ocean Discovery Centre to the Senate Environment and Communications References Committee inquiry into Algal Blooms in South Australia and requests the President communicate the passage of this motion to the Chair of that inquiry.

For those following at home, it is a very minor clerical correction of the 'Chair' rather than the 'Presiding Member'. It is a great pleasure to bring this motion before this council today, and I note the willingness of members to engage in what is a reasonably rapid debate in terms of the introduction and passage, hopefully, of this motion today.

Just over a year ago, I had the absolute pleasure of visiting the Marine Discovery Centre, and I know that many members of this council and of this parliament have had that same pleasure. I was given a guided tour there by Carmen Bishop, the centre's director. The Marine Discovery Centre was established in 1997 and has been a beacon of marine education in our state, welcoming some 8,000 eager learners each year.

During my visit, I was able to witness the centre in action as a group of OSHC students, who were on their school holidays, got to experience all the education and fun the team at that centre provide. I was delighted to see these children learning not only about our environment and the role that they can play in protecting our marine ecosystems but also about the unique marine life that populates our waters.

Carmen and her team embody the passion and love of our marine ecosystems that drives that centre's operation, and they do an absolutely phenomenal job of educating children and young people about our remarkable Great Southern Reef. It was a joy to witness the children on that day that I visited, smiling and enjoying themselves while learning about our state's incredible biodiversity and marine life.

However, there are challenges facing the centre, and indeed that current space is limited to some 10,000 visitors a year. In fact, that accounts for less than 4 per cent of all students in our state of South Australia and leaves very little, if any, room for the wider public or for tourism. The current facility simply cannot accommodate the buses that would be needed for visiting schools or tour groups, and the current location of the centre, which is on school grounds at the Star of the Sea School, limits the ability for the general public to even engage and be able to access the centre.

That is why they have for some time debated the need to lift the vision higher and broader, and that is what leads to this motion today. It is for all those reasons that a proposal has come together and proponents have come together to build a new state-of-the-art, purpose-built home: the Southern Ocean Discovery Centre. That centre would allow for the wider public, for more school students, for the connection so evident now with the challenges that we face with the algal bloom, and for our scientific and citizen science community to come together.

There is, of course, also a significant tourism opportunity in having a Southern Ocean Discovery Centre. South Australia is actually—and I was really quite surprised to learn this—currently the only Australian state or territory without a dedicated marine education facility that is publicly accessible. Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane all have a Sea Life aquarium. WA has the Busselton Jetty, Tasmania has Seahorse World, and even the NT and the ACT each have a facility. If you look around the map of the nation, in Cairns you have an aquarium, in Townsville you have the Great Barrier Reef Aquarium, in the Sunshine Coast you have Visit Sea Life and in WA you also have a Ningaloo Reef centre.

In fact, having grown up in Sydney, I was quite surprised to learn that the delights that I had had in my childhood of visiting the then Manly aquarium, almost any opportunity I got actually at one point, or indeed what you have now in Sydney with the Sydney Aquarium, is not one that is available to children in such a broad scale in South Australia and certainly not one that is available to the public.

I have to say—I do not know about other members of this place—I love to go to an aquarium. I love the marine ecology. It is incredibly interesting. In South Australia we have the Great Southern Reef and we have unique species here. We celebrate and protect our biodiversity, but we do not have a showcase for it. There are so many reasons why we really should and that is what brings me to this motion today.

We know that the Southern Ocean Discovery Centre could be and should be a world-class marine education, research and tourism hub in South Australia. It would also assist us in addressing the national challenges in public health, in environmental literacy and coastal resilience that we need now more than ever. It matters now, as we well know, because we are facing a current environmental crisis. We have been for some time. In fact, the scientists have been telling us that what is happening now has been coming for some time. It is just extraordinary that when they say it is now here that we have not quite listened.

South Australia is experiencing a persistent large-scale harmful algal bloom with significant ecological, economic and public health impacts. The community urgently needs long-term trusted sources of science-based information to counter misinformation, aid in recovery efforts and restore public confidence in using the coast and purchasing local seafood sustainably, just to name a few. Indeed, there is a public health and literacy gap, and some 10 per cent of the children visiting the current Marine Discovery Centre have actually never even been to the beach before. Many have never seen or entered the ocean or understand ocean currents. This disconnect increases risks in coastal safety, reduces community resilience and weakens our environmental stewardship.

There is an argument here of national equity and, as I mentioned, every other state and territory has at least one dedicated marine or ocean discovery hub that is publicly accessible—some have several. South Australia has none, despite the fact that we are home to the Great Southern Reef, one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on our planet. It is not just an ecological argument here. The Great Southern Reef is an economic powerhouse: commercial fishing, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, recreational fishing, diving and snorkelling, and other recreational activities. It is not just invaluable—indeed in the many hundreds and thousands of millions of dollars—the existence value also in itself is extraordinary.

The Albanese government recently committed $100 million to the Great Barrier Reef's Townsville discovery centre and so there is a precedent here that I hope the federal government will take up for South Australia. The Southern Ocean Discovery Centre offers a comparable opportunity for the Albanese government to ensure we have a national investment in South Australia to show not just commitment but indeed to strengthen what could be and should be a nationally significant hub that offers a vibrant, inclusive space where students can learn, where families can explore and young people can develop a lifelong connection to the ocean, encourage active lifestyles and coastal safety and help disconnect children from devices and reconnect them to nature, improving our mental health, our resilience and, of course, our environmental stewardship.

The Marine Discovery Centre and the team there have a proven track record and a strong foundation from which to work and were previously the recipients of some international recognition, receiving a UNESCO award for environmental education. They are currently the state's only coastal marine and coastal education facility for school students and have won so many awards that we know that should they be given the opportunity they could really make this happen.

The proposal that we have before us in this motion takes the threat of the harmful algal bloom and sees it as an opportunity because currently there is a Senate inquiry, as we well know, into the harmful algal bloom in South Australia and a committee looking at all the options, all the ways that we cannot just respond to this crisis but can create resilience and strengthen ourselves for the future. This an opportunity for this council to come together, cross-party, to show our support for what is, I believe, an incredibly inspirational proposal by quite expert people and not just Carmen Bishop—and I think all of us have probably met the not only erudite but exuberant Professor Chris Daniels—for anyone to be inspired and to present real solutions moving into the future as we address what is quite a significant environmental challenge.

Indeed, this weekend we celebrate yet another Tennyson Dunes Open Day. I know the Hon. Ian Hunter had quite a bit to do with the creation of that very special place in our state and that is the place that this team has identified, with the support of the local council, the Charles Sturt council, that the car park would be the perfect location for the Southern Ocean Discovery Centre. It will be wonderful this weekend to celebrate yet another wonderful Tennyson Dunes Open Day. For those members who have been, you will know it is a really special experience to do the talks and the tours and to see the local community come together to not just preserve that environment and protect it and nurture and nourish it but, right across the board of the ecological movement, to work together for a better planet for us all.

It would be a wonderful way to celebrate Tennyson Dunes Open Day for this council to have come together and urged the federal Senate committee, and in turn the federal members of parliament, who we know are often more where the purse strings are than in a state parliament, to take a really serious look at an investment in a Southern Ocean Discovery Centre for South Australia. It would be a wonderful institution to create more access to, whether for our school students or our community or our tourists, and also a way of really coming together and challenging the misinformation and providing a base for all across our community, scientists and non-scientists alike, to combat the serious challenge of the harmful algal bloom and, no doubt, many more challenges to come and to turn those challenges into a real opportunity and create optimism.

With that optimistic end, I look forward to the contributions of other members and to hopefully being able, Mr President, to have you write to the chair of the Senate's algal blooms in South Australia committee sometime soon and announce that this has happened to the Tennyson Dunes Open Day on the weekend.

The Hon. T.T. NGO (16:28): I rise today to speak in support of the honourable member's motion on behalf of the government, and I commend the Hon. Tammy Franks for her interest and passion towards our marine environment.

In 1997, the Catholic school Star of the Sea in Henley Beach established SA's first Marine Discovery Centre. Since then, the centre has been refurbished and its long-running programs expanded for students and the public. The programs offered at the school have included the opportunity to learn about local marine species, Aboriginal culture with Kaurna volunteers sharing culture and language connections to the sea and land, and a chance to engage in interactive exhibits, such as sustainable fishing. Qualified marine scientists and a cultural educator have led these long-running opportunities.

The Marine Discovery Centre's interactive exhibits and aquariums have helped foster an understanding of marine ecosystems and their importance to South Australia's environment to over 130,000 students since 1997. The Star of the Sea school and Marine Discovery Centre has been well loved and has earned a UNESCO award for environmental education. It has also traditionally enjoyed strong support from the Department for Education, the Department for Environment and other government departments. However, it is no longer fit for purpose, and the demand for services from the community far exceeds its capacity. Consequently, the Southern Ocean Discovery Centre proposal is not simply about bricks and mortar, it is about continuing this inspiration and stewardship.

The proposed location, at Wara Wayingga-Tennyson Dunes Conservation Reserve, offers an opportunity to integrate marine science, conservation education and sustainable tourism within a living coastal landscape. The location is rich in natural and cultural heritage, where people can not only connect with marine life but also with the stories, knowledge and custodianship of the land's traditional owners.

The proposal will expand marine and STEM education from 8,000 to more than 30,000 students annually, offering increased participation in STEM pathways linked to marine industries. The Southern Ocean Discovery Centre will have the ability to expand curriculum-aligned programs for primary, secondary and tertiary students and offer greater professional development opportunities for educators in marine science and sustainability. The discovery centre is about fostering in South Australians, as well as in visitors, a deeper appreciation for the Great Southern Reef, one of the most diverse and productive marine ecosystems on our planet.

The facility could attract more than 80,000 visitors per year, resulting in considerable economic benefits through extended visitor stays and additional support for local businesses. However, not only is the Great Southern Reef a biodiversity melting pot but independent research has valued it at $11.56 billion per year, based on a subset of values including but not limited to commercial fishing, carbon capture and storage, recreational fishing and recreational activities.

The Southern Ocean Discovery Centre has already been set up as a company limited by guarantee, with a high-powered board that is chaired by the highly respected South Australian Professor Chris Daniels. While this particular site is overseen by the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water and is dedicated to council for the purposes of car parking and community, the DEW Crown Lands operations team are ready and willing to work closely with everyone involved, including the City of Charles Sturt, on their proposal to use the Crown land that is currently dedicated to the council in Tennyson.

An essential aim of the centre would be to inspire people to protect and sustain the remarkable coastal and marine environments for generations to come. The establishment of the Southern Ocean Discovery Centre could position South Australia as a national leader in marine education, health literacy and environmental resilience and will provide a trusted platform for science communication, tourism growth and lifelong connection to the Great Southern Reef.

This proposal is the culmination of an 18-month multisector process, and I commend the hard work, dedication and foresight of all those involved. The government gives this bill its full support.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (16:34): I rise in support of this motion, moved by the Hon. Tammy Franks, recognising the Southern Ocean Discovery Centre proposal to establish a world-class marine education and tourism hub at Wara Wayingga-Tennyson Dunes.

South Australia is home to the Great Southern Reef, a globally significant reef system that supports rich biodiversity, including species found nowhere else on earth. This reef underpins local industries such as fisheries, aquaculture and nature-based tourism and plays a significant role in our coastal identity. Independent research has valued the reef's services at over $11.5 billion annually, driven by industries such as fishing, tourism and environmental services.

Despite this, South Australia remains the only state without a publicly accessible marine centre of scale. The Marine Discovery Centre at Henley Beach continues to deliver excellent educational programs for school-age children, but its physical constraints limit its capacity to serve broader public and tourism needs. It currently reaches only 4 per cent of South Australian students annually despite growing demand.

The Southern Ocean Discovery Centre would help fill this gap and much more. It would offer hands-on, engaging experiences for people of all ages, helping them learn about our marine environment and why it is important to look after our coastlines. More importantly, it would also serve as a gateway to the Great Southern Reef, helping to position South Australia as a leader in marine education and sustainable tourism.

The chosen site, Wara Wayingga-Tennyson Dunes, is ecologically and culturally significant. Located just 12 kilometres from Adelaide, the dunes are one of the last remaining remnant dune systems along the metropolitan coast. They support unique vegetation zones and threatened species and hold deep cultural importance for the Kaurna people.

This Sunday, 19 October, the community will gather for the annual Wara Wayingga-Tennyson Dunes Open Day, a free event supported by the City of Charles Sturt and run by dedicated volunteers. The program features guided walks, cultural workshops and biodiversity tours. Events like this demonstrate the strong public interest in our coastal environment and the potential for a permanent centre to enhance year-round engagement. I want to give a shout-out to all the volunteers who have run the programs.

As a former shadow minister for tourism, I note that Tourism SA's 2020-30 plan sets an ambitious target to grow the visitor economy to $12.8 billion and to support over 4,400 new jobs by the end of the decade. Much of this growth is expected to be from nature-based tourism, especially coastal, wildlife and educational experiences. The western beaches of Adelaide, including Tennyson, Semaphore and Henley Beach, are well positioned to benefit from this trend. These areas attract visitors but lack a centralised marine education and tourism facility, which the Hon. Tammy Franks is calling for.

The Southern Ocean Discovery Centre is projected to attract over 80,000 visitors annually, extending average stay durations, encouraging off-peak visitation and supporting local businesses. It would also support efforts to grow tourism in western Adelaide by helping develop new visitor experiences and attractions. A centre like this would boost local business, create jobs in tourism and education, and strengthen the cultural and environmental value of the coast and also the local economy.

Beyond tourism, the centre would deliver tangible benefits in education, public health and environmental literacy. It would expand marine and STEM education to over 30,000 students per year, offer professional development for educators and embed Aboriginal cultural knowledge of, and perspective on, sea country. It would also serve as a trusted source of science-based information, which is particularly important considering the harmful algal bloom currently affecting our coastlines and seafood industries.

The proponent has made a submission to the Senate inquiry into algal blooms in South Australia, highlighting the role a centre like this could play in improving public understanding, countering misinformation and supporting long-term coastal resilience. In short, the Southern Ocean Discovery Centre is more than a visionary idea; it is smart investment in South Australia's tourism, environment and community wellbeing. With those remarks, I strongly commend the motion.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (16:39): I, too, rise today to speak in favour of the motion for the Southern Ocean Discovery Centre. The Marine Discovery Centre is a coastal and marine education facility that values partnership and actively engages with community, incorporates cultural heritage, and seeks to promote local, state and federal nature-based tourism and environmental strategies.

South Australia has a proud history of leadership in conservation with the world's first legislated national park system in Belair in 1891, and an ongoing commitment to conservation measures. If South Australia is the only state without a publicly accessible marine centre of this type, it is inconsistent with our historical commitment to conservation. It makes sense to further enable this work to continue with greater effectiveness and engagement through the proposed establishment of a purpose-built education and tourism hub, and it is something that the opposition supports. In fact, it is my understanding that the shadow minister for environment, the member for Finniss, visited the current Marine Discovery Centre on Military Road earlier this year.

The member for Finniss speaks very positively about the commitment and the passion of the staff at the Marine Discovery Centre, but it is my understanding that there are some limitations regarding access to that centre and its current location. We acknowledge that, and therefore absolutely support the development of a new Southern Ocean Discovery Centre, and support this motion.

The challenges presented by the current harmful algal bloom have increased the focus on and understanding of the importance and unique nature of South Australia's marine environment. Promoting conservation and educating the public about our coastal marine asset is absolutely important and more topical than ever. I congratulate the honourable member, Ms Franks, for bringing this motion to the chamber. The opposition wholeheartedly supports this motion and we—without, of course, pre-empting the vote in this chamber—look forward to its passage.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (16:42): I also rise to speak in favour of the motion. I should say that when I saw the Hon. Tung Ngo stand earlier I did have a sense of dread wash over me, as I thought that he was going to oppose the motion on behalf of the government as he is often deployed to do. I was very relieved to see that, in fact, the government is supporting the motion and that the Hon. Mr Ngo had been deployed to deliver some good news.

I thank the Hon. Tammy Franks for putting this forward for discussion and decision today. I agree with all of the comments that have been made. I think this is a timely proposal and one that would bring significant benefits to our state. I understand that since 1997 the Marine Discovery Centre has been South Australia's cornerstone for marine education, engaging over 130,000 students and thousands of community members with hands-on learning.

It has achieved international recognition, including a UNESCO award for environmental education, as the state's only coastal and marine educational facility for school-age students and the wider community. The facility has delivered award-winning programs to integrate marine science, coastal safety, sustainability and Aboriginal cultural education. But, as the Hon. Nicola Centofanti alluded to, there is, of course, a problem, though, in that demand for the centre far exceeds the capacity.

With its limited facilities located within a school, the MDC serves only 4 per cent of South Australian students annually and can only be opened to the public on weekends. That is despite the fact that there is a growing community appetite for science-based, trusted marine education. I understand the proponents of the Southern Ocean Discovery Centre are seeking $25 million to design and construct the Southern Ocean Discovery Centre at Tennyson Dunes, building on the success of the award-winning Marine Discovery Centre.

The proponents have created the Southern Ocean Discovery Centre as a company limited by guarantee, underpinned by a board of experts, a number of pre-eminent people, as the Hon. Tammy Franks has identified. The centre would bring a number of benefits, I believe. I think the toxic algal bloom that our state has been grappling with over several months now demonstrates the vital role of our oceans and demonstrates that we are all at the mercy of the sea and the natural world. I think this will lead to a renewed interest in science and research at the moment.

There is also a significant public health and literacy gap in our nation, with 10 per cent of children visiting the current Marine Discovery Centre having never been to the beach and many having never entered the ocean or understanding ocean currents. This disconnect increases risk to coastal safety, reduces community resilience and weakens environmental stewardship. This new centre has the opportunity to bring in more people.

It is also the case that South Australia is the odd one out here. Other states have centres such as this in place—we should be doing the same. I hope the federal government and the state government can make this a priority. I thank the Hon. Tammy Franks for putting this forward.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (16:46): I thank those speakers who have made a contribution today: the Hon. Jing Lee, the Hon. Tung Ngo, the Hon. Nicola Centofanti and the Hon. Robert Simms. There is truly cross-party support for this motion, which I am sure will be very much celebrated at the Tennyson Dunes Open Day this weekend, but hopefully also listened to by the Senate inquiry into the harmful algal bloom in South Australia.

I also note that, should the support of this council be heard, it is only because we simply are echoing and illuminating the fine work of not just Carmen Bishop, who is utterly inspirational, but Professor Chris Daniels, Dr Zoe Doubleday, John Schutz and Phillip Henshall, who are now the Southern Ocean Discovery Centre Company Ltd by guarantee high-powered board, but ably assisted of course by their advisers John Shephard and Karl Telfer. They have taken a vision, come together, and I do hope that this council, in commending their fine efforts, will be able to not just celebrate this weekend but celebrate in coming years with announcements of support from the Albanese government for this extraordinary vision, and we will all be able to go and enjoy and invite our friends when they come to visit South Australia to visit the Southern Ocean Discovery Centre. With that, I commend the motion.

Motion carried.

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