Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-02-06 Daily Xml

Contents

Question Time

Sand Dredging

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:19): I seek leave to make a brief explanation prior to addressing questions to the Attorney, as the minister responsible for the Adelaide Beach Management Review, regarding West Beach dredging.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: The opposition has been approached with information that the sump atop saltwater intake pipe No. 3, which is one of the water inlet pipes for both SARDI West Beach and Robarra, has been significantly damaged with the top section broken off, leaving the intake pipe completely open and vulnerable. Research shows that a damaged saltwater intake pipe in a farmed aquaculture system can have several significant effects, including water quality issues of reduced water flow, oxygen depletion, temperature fluctuations and salinity changes; contamination risks, including sediment and debris infiltration or pathogen and toxin exposure; and pump and filtration system strain from overworking pumps and clogging and fouling, amongst other things.

My question to the minister responsible for the Adelaide Beach Management Review is: is the minister aware of or has the minister been briefed by either DEW or EPA about such damage, and if not, will the Attorney commit to this chamber that in light of this information he will seek a briefing on this issue as a priority?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (14:20): I thank the honourable member for her question. I am not aware of the issue that the honourable member has raised. The infrastructure is part of my colleague the Hon. Clare Scriven's portfolios properties at the SARDI research facility. As the Hon. Clare Scriven has very adeptly pointed out, there is an investigation underway, using world-renowned experts to conduct that investigation, and I look forward to those results.