Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that Australia has:

(a) more than 59,000km of coastline;

(b) around 85 per cent of the population living in coastal regions; and

(c) nearly 39,000 buildings (as at 2011) and hundreds of coastal communities located within 100 metres of 'soft' shorelines which are at risk from accelerated erosion;

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) coastal erosion presents a social, environmental, economic and existential threat to coastal communities;

(b) human-induced climate change will accelerate erosion, putting many communities in grave danger; and

(c) a number of communities are already starting to sustain serious damage from coastal erosion;

(3) is deeply concerned that there is no national leadership on the issue of coastal erosion and all climate adaptation activities have been defunded under Governments led by Prime Ministers Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison; and

(4) calls on the Government to take urgent action to support coastal communities seeking to restore their beaches and improve their resilience.

I am very pleased to move this motion in the parliament today, to put the very important issue of coastal erosion back on the national agenda—just as it was under the former Labor government. It's time the Morrison Liberal government got serious about this threat, which is only going to get worse as it puts more homes, businesses, precious beaches and vital community assets in peril. Indeed, a 2011 survey found that there are nearly 39,000 buildings located within 100 metres of what we call 'soft' shorelines that could be at risk from accelerated erosion. In New South Wales alone there are 16 identified coastal erosion hotspots, and one of these is in the community of Stockton in my electorate of Newcastle. Coastal erosion hotspots are an issue I brought to the attention of this House during the last sitting.

The Stockton community has been facing the threat of coastal erosion for many years now, but in recent months the situation has deteriorated rapidly, with the most severe erosion recorded in 20 years. As a result, the childcare centre has been closed—in fact, it is being demolished; the iconic and dearly loved Stockton Beach has been declared unsafe and cordoned off from access; the council owned caravan park had to be evacuated; houses and roads had to be sandbagged; and the Stockton Surf Life Saving Club, which has stood proudly for 112 years, is on the precipice. And, as if all of that wasn't bad enough, Stockton residents are now facing exposure to tonnes of potentially carcinogenic industrial waste that was used to stabilise the foreshore back in the 1940s and is now being unearthed and exposed as the coast recedes.

It has been profoundly distressing for the community to watch their precious beach wash away, living in fear that core community infrastructure and, indeed, their homes may soon follow. President of the Stockton Surf Life Saving Club Callan Nickerson has spoken of the heartbreak that the erosion crisis is causing, saying:

As this preventable problem has tightened its grip on our beach, our community has suffered as a result.

The ritual of many to come home from work and head to the beach to unwind is not a reality anymore. People head there now to have a look at just how much sand we have lost. Northside Boardriders president Simon Jones, who has long campaigned to save Stockton Beach, has called on the Berejiklian New South Wales state government to intervene, saying:

What this is about is preserving something that should be taken for granted for future generations …

Make no mistake, this is a community in crisis, but none of this should be a surprise. Indeed, the community has been calling for action on coastal erosion for many years but, regrettably, it has taken these catastrophic developments in recent months for the state government to finally declare Stockton a 'significant open coast location', which is a necessary prerequisite in order for our local government to even apply for some funding to address this situation.

But this first step is not enough. The Berejiklian Liberal government needs to appoint a state recovery coordinator to manage the erosion crisis and to urgently direct agencies to assist with stabilisation, repairs and replenishment activities. It also needs to complete and adopt the coastal management plan. While these responsibilities sit firmly with the state government, the federal government also has a role to play. Just like drought, flood, fire and all forms of natural disaster, coastal erosion does not respect state borders. It is a truly national issue that needs national leadership, and it needs it now, especially given the increasing role climate change will play in the decline of our coast. While I don't want to diminish the impact that port infrastructure and other aspects have on the Stockton situation, extreme weather events, driven by climate change, are accelerating the process. Indeed, in just one five-hour stretch of wild weather and heavy surf, Stockton Beach lost 2.5 metres of sand height. Of course, with the inevitable sea-level rise, things are only going to get worse.

Federal Labor went to the election with a comprehensive plan to address climate change and we had a coastal rehabilitation fund that would have helped communities like Stockton to address this crippling erosion. So today I ask this government: what are you doing to prepare for the inevitable and, in some cases, imminent dire impacts of coastal erosion?

Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Jason Falinski (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Newcastle. I would like to join her in her condemnation of state government regulation that has made the management of our coastal areas so very difficult. What the Keneally government did, in the 2010-11 period, in absolutely destroying the capacity of local communities to protect their private land and community land from seas and coastal erosion is one of the great untold stories of government incompetence that we have seen in Australia.

In my electorate of Mackellar we have a situation not unlike that described by the member for Newcastle, where you have impact zones that actually go as far back as major public roads. It is not allowed for the local community or private citizens to construct seawalls that protect not only community infrastructure and transport infrastructure but their own homes. It is absolutely incomprehensible that the Keneally government in 2010 would have allowed this to happen.

My electorate of Mackellar, which is on the northern beaches and is a far prettier electorate than the member for Newcastle's—but we can have that argument later; maybe we can move competing motions to that effect!—is an electorate which is home to some of the most exquisite beaches and coastline in Australia. I've lived on the northern beaches all my life, and it is a privilege to represent the people who call this beautiful coastline home.

I rise today to convey the concerns of my electorate surrounding coastal erosion and its relation to climate change. There are two pressing issues for the people of my electorate, but they can rest assured knowing that this government is taking those issues incredibly seriously. I remain confident that the Morrison government's policies will continue to protect the 59,000 kilometres that make up Australia's splendid coastline. The challenge is constant, although our problems are continually changing as a result of coastal erosion.

A stretch of coastline in my electorate that spans the sweeping beaches of Collaroy to Narrabeen has been officially identified as Australia's third-most at-risk coastal area. The beaches there have become particularly vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, with sand drift and significantly receding shorelines compromising the safety of beachgoers and seafront property owners alike. The major road in my electorate is Pittwater Road, and the storms that we had in 2016 were literally only stopped from sweeping away large parts of this road because people's houses—and swimming pools, in some cases—got in the way.

As a result of a particularly destructive storm in 2016, several measures have been put in place to reduce erosion in the interests of ensuring our community's safety. Seawalls, sand replenishment and beach nourishment are all now integrated in the coastal management plan. For this motion to state that there is no leadership on the issue of coastal erosion or climate change is just wrong. This government has a number of measures and practical policies to ensure that our coasts are secure, the climate is looked after and the integrity of our economy remains strong.

A practical Morrison government climate change initiative has been the $2.5 billion investment in the Emissions Reduction Fund. The government has also announced a new $3.5 billion Climate Solutions Fund—another initiative that will not only ensure Australia meets its Paris 2030 commitment but will in turn slow the advance of erosion.

The Climate Solutions Fund will contribute to the highly regarded Environment Restoration Fund, which will assist local communities to restore ecological damage. This fund, in addition to the billion dollars the coalition has invested in the next phase of the National Landcare Program, will help to protect and preserve Australia's flora and fauna. Thankfully, our community has largely recovered from the devastating 2016 storm—yet many of my constituents remain understandably concerned, not least because they are so committed.

I'm very fortunate that my electorate office is just a stone's throw from Narrabeen Beach, a refreshing yet soothing place to walk or think, or to go to with friends and family. My daughter too loves the beach. The residents care very much about our beaches, which is reflected in a marked absence of litter and marine debris that many other beaches and coastlines find too familiar.

I shall continue to work with the federal and state government so I can remain confident that our government is making strides to halt coastal erosion and protect our exceptional coastline, a coastline that distinguishes us as— (Time expired)

Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Newcastle for this important motion and I want to thank the member for Mackellar for confirming that the federal government is doing nothing—nada—in terms of combating coastal erosion or adaption either to climate change or to the worst effects of coastal erosion. I thank him for doing that.

I want to talk about my electorate in the Northern Territory and how we are experiencing effects, like other places in our country, and why it's important that we combat coastal erosion to any extent that we can. The Northern Territory has an extensive coastline and a diverse marine environment. Our coastline's almost 11,000 kilometres, including 887 islands, and our coastal waters cover over 72,000 kilometres. That's big. These relatively undisturbed environments are unique, both nationally and globally. When I mention those statistics, they're in relation to Australia but, obviously, the Northern Territory has a large segment of that coastline. It's a long coastline, and it is relatively undisturbed for now—except for the seas rising, of course. Our Territory coastline is a great source of economic benefit and is important to the maintenance of customary practices and local Aboriginal livelihoods. As such, it is an integral part of our Top End identity and lifestyle.

The science is clear: coastal erosion presents a social, environmental, economic and existential threat to our coastal communities. Human-induced climate change will accelerate erosion, putting many communities in grave danger. After six years, this government and the current Prime Minister must finally show some real leadership and take some real action to combat climate change because all of these things in relation to our environment and the climate are linked. It's so important because our coasts and seas provide so many benefits to many user groups.

I've mentioned some of the values in the Northern Territory community in relation to First Nations Territorians and their rights and interests in the coasts and seas. It must be understood that the coasts and seas provide an excellent opportunity for the realisation of the economic, cultural and social aspirations of these people. Industries such as fishing and aquaculture, oil and gas and tourism rely on our coasts and seas. There are a great many potential economic opportunities through careful, managed development of those environments. Commercial fishing activity occurs across 15 different wild harvest fisheries in both inshore and offshore areas. Cruise ships visit Darwin in my electorate and then go on to explore remote regions of the territory, including visiting First Nations communities. The majority of the Territory's population live in or near coastal areas, and about 80 per cent of recreational fishing activity occurs in marine waters, primarily estuaries and inshore and offshore waters. It brings a lot of people to the Territory. Rec fishing is incredibly important, but it's only going to be able to continue to be sustainable if we look after our coastal environments.

I could go on and on about why I think it's important to protect the Territory's coastlines, but we basically want to see more effort—any effort—from the current federal government to help these coastal communities in their efforts to mitigate the effects of coastal erosion. (Time expired)

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a wonderful privilege to be able to get up and speak on this motion, because coastal erosion is one of the most important issues that we confront as a nation. Our waterways are critical for the future sustainability and health of our nation, as well as, of course, for the future health and sustainability of the planet. One of the things we often forget is that cities are based—as are all of Australia's capital cities, of course—on major waterways for very good and logical reasons: because of the basis of their settlement, but also because of their connections to direct water supply.

At the last election I went to the people of Goldstein and made it crystal clear that the health and wellbeing particularly of our main body of water, Port Phillip in the great state of Victoria, was something that I was going to fight for as part of improving the lifestyle, the sustainability and the health of our community. Too often the health of Port Phillip has fallen by the wayside through a tussle between local authorities, the state government and the federal government because of issues of ownership and responsibility and because of a lack of legal clarity. Critically, the only people who have suffered are the people who live by it, and the only body of water that suffers because of it is Port Phillip itself.

Port Phillip is the jewel of Melbourne. It is central to our liveability; it is the greatest natural asset in our community; and it is critical. Goldstein faces many challenges directly around coastal erosion. In fact, Goldstein has almost all of the cliffs along Port Phillip from Melbourne on the easterly side—rising up around Brighton and going across Hampton, Sandringham and Black Rock, and then descending towards the end of Beaumaris and then to Mentone and Mentone Beach—until you get down to the federal electorate of Dunkley

So coastal erosion is critical, and it is a critical part of the platform that I was elected on only a few months ago. As part of the last federal election we made commitments to provide up to $50,000 for the Black Rock Foreshore Masterplan. This involves three distinct proposals and projects, including removing coastal weed species and revegetating these areas with native plant species. It involves installing new fencing at existing informal lookout points—of course coastal erosion comes not just from the water, but also from the top, particularly as a consequence of run-off from Beach Road, as well as from the behaviour of well-meaning citizens enjoying the view but who need to be mindful of the impact and footprint they have on the local environment. It also involves developing ways to protect new plantings and to provide additional stability to the cliffs through a process of revegetation. We funded the City of Bayside to take responsibility for delivering those roles, and we look forward to them delivering them through the processes to come.

We didn't provide just that $50,000 for the Black Rock Foreshore Masterplan. We also provided up to $50,000 for the Sandringham Beach and Gardens Masterplan, which involves increasing the amount of vegetation in consultation with local community groups—and there are many—who are concerned about the health of the foreshore. I would like to pay particular regard to the Sandringham Foreshore Association, among others, for their perseverance and diligence in taking care of our local community. They know that I'm a good friend of their cause—and also of course of the Black Rock Sandringham Conservation Association. We're also installing new fencing to reduce the impact caused by off-track walking and to improve safety during future weed control and revegetation efforts in difficult-to-access areas, as well as developing detailed revegetation plans which aim to establish long-term sustainable and manageable planting in critical areas around Sandringham.

We've been able to do this because of the excellent work of community organisations, volunteers and the council, and also through working together with the re-elected Morrison government, which has given these commitments. Sadly and tragically, there were no such promises about the care, health and wellbeing of Port Phillip from the Labor Party at the last election. They made no commitment to the Sandringham community, they made no commitment to the Black Rock community and they made no commitments to Beaumaris, or Brighton, or Hampton or anywhere else. Ultimately, this is why they will always struggle to represent our community in Goldstein—they neither understand it nor fully appreciate the consequences. That's why it's so critically important that we're a strong voice.

Of course, this sits across the backdrop of many measures that this government is taking around the health and wellbeing of our water systems around the world. I know that when the Prime Minister was recently at the United Nations he extolled our specific virtues and focus in making sure we have healthy waterways for the future wellbeing of the planet.

Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Financial Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I congratulate the member for Newcastle for moving this important motion, which highlights perfectly this government's ineptitude and lack of action when it comes to being serious about climate change and the effects of climate change. We all know that rising sea levels are going to result, and are resulting, in coastal erosion, which is having a dramatic economic and social impact on many communities throughout Australia.

The Australian coastline is of immense economic, social and environmental importance to our nation. We have more than 59,000 kilometres of coastline, with around 85 per cent of the population living in coastal regions. Nearly 40,000 buildings and hundreds of coastal communities are located within 100 metres of what are called 'soft' shorelines, which are at risk from accelerated erosion. Coastal erosion presents a social, environmental and economic threat to coastal communities. The increasing concentration of wealth and population in coastal areas further exposes those communities and insurers to devastating losses. Many of those insurers are covering, at a loss, some parts of Australia that are considered disaster prone, and some communities are finding that they may soon be uninsurable. I've recently travelled up to the north of Australia, particularly to northern Queensland, where communities in Townsville, Cairns and Mackay are having terrible trouble getting coverage through insurance for their homes and their small businesses.

We know that human induced climate change will further accelerate erosion, putting many communities in grave danger; projected increases in sea levels have the potential to increase the risks from storm surges and high tides. While some general insurers offer partial coverage for erosion and seawater inundation due to storm surge, no insurers offer products that cover loss or damage due to gradual sea-level rise. A number of communities are already starting to sustain serious damage from coastal erosion, with a loss of dunes and inundation.

In my electorate of Kingsford Smith we've had a recent glimpse of the damage that can be done by storm surges and coastal erosion. In 2016—it was actually during the election campaign—we had an east coast low that battered the coastline of Kingsford Smith and basically wiped out one of the walls of the Coogee surf club. The storm surge and the seas were so big that they came up and knocked over the wall to the gymnasium of Coogee surf club and did immense damage, not only to the surf club but also to the beach. That has an effect on the insurance policies of the council and the surf club in the future, and that's the cost of climate change. That's what those on the opposite side don't understand—that people are bearing the cost of climate change through increased severe storm events and erosion as we speak. Coogee is one of the oldest surf clubs in Australia, but the severity of the east coast low that struck it hadn't been seen in its 110-year history.

We've already seen the all-too-real impacts on our Pacific neighbours. Pacific nations are having to move communities because of the effects of climate change, which is inundating infrastructure. Wells and crops are becoming salinised and therefore unproductive. These conditions, in areas such as the Solomon Islands, provide an insight into the future impacts of accelerated sea-level rise.

Yet, although their leaders change, there remains no national leadership from this government on the issue of climate change and coastal erosion. All climate adaptation activities have been defunded under the Liberals. They didn't bother including climate change adaptation in their 2017 review of climate change policies, despite the fact that a 2013 Productivity Commission report, released when Labor was in government, highlighted the clear need for adaptation measures to reduce the risks associated with unavoidable climate change. More needs to be done to repair our coastlines, tackle coastal erosion and prepare our beaches for the impact of climate change.

Australia is still without a national framework for building climate resilience, because the battle about whether or not climate change is real and its effects on Australia is still going on within the Liberal Party. After seven years they still doesn't have a national climate change policy and they still don't have a national energy policy. It is Australian communities that are bearing the full impact of that. This government needs to wake up and realise that Australian coastal communities are suffering because of its inaction, and develop a national coastal erosion policy.

Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I acknowledge the difficulty that people up at Stockton Beach are having, but we have to look at the facts of why they are having that difficulty. One of the experts in this area, a Professor Ron Boyd from Newcastle university, has said that it is not sea-level rise that has caused the problem at Stockton Beach. He said, 'It's a man-made problem through artificially manufactured infrastructure.' He said:

Before Newcastle Harbour construction, sand moved … north along the coastline and a large sandbar existed off Stockton which saved it from the wrath of erosion which is decimating it today.

He went on:

After construction of long breakwaters—

and a deepwater channel being cut in the harbour—

it's virtually impossible for new sand to enter the south Stockton compartment.

"People need to understand it is directly linked to the creation of the harbour and dredging, and extension of the break waters …"

That is what our scientists are telling us. Yet we have members of the Labor Party coming in here and exploiting what is happening up at Stockton Beach: 'It's all climate change. It's all climate change.' What an outrage! Truly, for them to come in here, to ignore the science that says it is happening because of changes to infrastructure at Newcastle Harbour and to blame us—'If only you'd vote for us we would do something that would change the sea level'—is the level of the debate we have degenerated to. The other side will not listen to the science and they will not listen to the facts. They just make it up as they go along.

What does the science actually say? I seek leave to table the peer reviewed article 'The State of World's Beaches'.

Leave not granted.

Of course leave is not granted! We know the other side don't want to know the science. They don't want to know what the science says. They don't want to read the peer reviewed reports. They just want to go out and create mayhem and chaos and undue concern in our community. Let me read what the peer reviewed science says. This is an article published on 27 April 2018. It is a review of the beach shorelines of the world through a 33-year period, from 1984 to 2016. It found that 48 per cent of the world's beaches are stable. It found that 28 per cent are actually enjoying accretion—they are growing in size—and that 24 per cent are declining and suffering erosion. They've also gone through and actually published a map of the world where you can go to your local beach and see if it's suffering from erosion or if it's enjoying accretion and growing bigger. I have gone to that map and had a look at all the beaches in my local electorate. I am pleased to report to my constituents that I went through a list of the local beaches in my electorate—Jibbon, Wattamolla, Garie, Marley and Era beaches—and also, not in my electorate but in the Sutherland Shire, looking at Boat Harbour, Greenhills, Wanda Beach, Elouera, North Cronulla, South Cronulla, Shelly Beach and Oak Park. For every single one of them, the peer-reviewed science says they have been stable over the last 33 years. Sure, when a big storm comes in they will suffer from periods of erosion from time to time, and then the sand comes back as an accretion. That is a natural process.

As I go up through the other beaches in Sydney—Bondi, Tamarama, Bronte, Clovelly, Coogee, Maroubra, Malabar and Little Bay—all of them, according to the science, have been stable over a 30-year period. Yes, they suffer at times from major storm events, but those major storm events are not getting any worse. So I would encourage members of the Labor Party not to go out scaremongering and misrepresenting the science, and, when you see an event like we had at Stockton Beach, make up that somehow climate change is to blame when the science is absolutely clear that it's not, because what we are hearing is stories of women aborting children because of undue fear of climate change—that is what that does. We are seeing maniacs gluing themselves to the streets. When members of parliament misrepresent the facts, when they see an incident like what happened at Stockton Beach and they blame climate change, they are only feeding that fear in our society.

Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support this important and timely motion. I raised the issue of coastal erosion in my first speech when I called for a national strategy to address the coastal impacts of climate change. I witness these effects regularly in Corangamite. At Apollo Bay, over 30 metres of beach has been lost, and now the high tide is within a few metres of the Great Ocean Road. Toilets and camping grounds are under threat. At Anglesea, there is little beach left as the tide cuts into the dunes. This isn't just about recreation on the beach. The critically endangered hooded plover has been left with no breeding area. Erosion means the loss of infrastructure, recreation and habitat. Eventually it also means social disruption, a loss of business and a loss of jobs.

The Surf Coast, the Otways and the Great Ocean Road are more than a home to many of my constituents; tourism is a driver of the local coastal economy in Victoria. Great Ocean Road tourism income in 2017-18 was said to be worth over $1.2 billion. Over two million visitors come to the Surf Coast Shire alone each year, and over five million visit the whole stretch of the Great Ocean Road.

The five councils in my Corangamite care, and want to address these problems, but to properly map the coast—to engage the engineering expertise and develop a multimillion-dollar multiagency strategy—is well beyond their capacity. These councils, all with high-growth areas, simply can't find extra millions to also combat erosion caused by man-made climate change.

But we do have some voices calling for action. In early August, before the meeting of COAG, WA became the first state to release a state-wide report on coastal erosion. Premier Mark McGowan called on the Commonwealth to work with state and local governments to manage coastal erosion across the country. It appears from the COAG communique that the issue didn't even make it onto the agenda. I hope it will next time. The WA report is built on five broad goals: environment, community, economy, infrastructure and governance. Under each goal, the report provides the objectives and strategies that will build healthy coastlines in each of the 55 identified coastal zones. The estimated cost for managing the 55 WA locations is up to $110 million over the next five years, with extra funding required in the long term.

On the technical front, scientists from the University of New South Wales recently released a framework for guiding, building and managing coastal infrastructure. They say we need to totally rethink how we build on the coast. I know UNSW is not alone in doing research in this area. The point here is that no local government and no state government can do this on their own.

Climate change is global, but its effects are local. All levels of government have a responsibility to deal with those effects, including the federal government. The first step is to take real action on climate change, to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees or less, which will stop ice cap melt and the rise in sea levels. The government's commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 26 to 28 per cent by 2030 is a three-degrees strategy, not a below-two-degrees strategy. In any event, our coastlines cannot wait. We need real commitment right now to map our coastlines and to tackle coastal erosion nationally. We need to agree on new coastal planning and building standards. We need a new Commonwealth fund for climate adaptation activities. Remedial and adaptive activities have been defunded under successive coalition governments since 2014.

In Corangamite, during the election campaign, $1.5 million was committed at the last minute by this government to deal with restoration of coastal dunes and beach erosion from Queenscliff to Cape Otway. It will fund small projects, and I'm sure it will be used wisely by the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, which is responsible for the funds. But it won't even begin to implement the required engineering solutions for the erosion, which is now threatening to undermine the Great Ocean Road itself, as well as many other parts of our beautiful coastline.

This year is the 100th anniversary of that great road, built by the returning soldiers and the unemployed after World War I. I call on the Morrison government to lead by example and invest in our coastline. I call on them to cooperate with all levels of government, researchers and other agencies to make sure that all of our nation's icons are here for the next hundred years.

Nicolle Flint (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My electorate of Boothby is home to one of South Australia's best stretches of coastline, particularly in Adelaide. From North Glenelg to Marino, I am fortunate to represent such a beautiful part of the world and the dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly to maintain and care for our beaches, our native vegetation and our coastline.

Coastal erosion is an issue in South Australia—thankfully not so much within my electorate—and we also have other challenges along our coasts, including pollution, particularly plastics, and the impacts of a changing climate. We've seen the issue of coastal erosion most seriously in South Australia from Semaphore to West Beach, which is just outside my electorate. The beaches in the southern part of Adelaide's coastline, from Glenelg to Kingston Park, are generally very stable because of successful beach management which has been undertaken by our local and state governments, who bear responsibility for this issue. An existing sand-pumping system along this part of the coast uses pumping stations and underground pipelines to transfer a slurry of sand and seawater from beaches where sand is building up to beaches where sand is eroding. The pipeline currently pumps approximately 100,000 cubic metres of sand successfully every year. As I said, responsibility for this policy issue and for this area falls to our local and state governments, and I would like to acknowledge the work of my local councils who take in the beach-side parts of my electorate—particularly the City of Holdfast Bay and the City of Marion—for their work to protect our local beaches, whether it is sand, sand dunes or our native vegetation.

South Australia's Marshall Liberal government has also committed to protecting our coastline, and I would particularly like to recognise and thank my state colleague Minister David Speirs, who is the Minister for Environment and Water and whose electorate falls mainly within my electorate of Boothby, for the wonderful work that he is doing in his environment portfolio. David is very passionate about looking after our natural environment, especially our coastline, which we share together. The Marshall Liberal government is investing $48.4 million in the metropolitan coastline over the next four years. This consists of $20 million for additional sand, including approximately 500,000 cubic metres of newly sourced sand. This investment also includes $28.4 million for the completion of a new sand-recycling pipeline from Semaphore to West Beach, similar to the one that operates between Glenelg and Kingston Park, as well as sand dune restoration and revegetation, in partnership with local councils and coastal community groups.

The Morrison Liberal government is doing a range of things in the environmental area to look after our waters, our coastal waters and our oceans. We're restoring coastal environments. We're dealing with the problem of plastics and waste along our coastlines and in our oceans. Our Environment Restoration Fund totals $100 million and includes a $16 million investment in our rivers, waterways and coasts to help clean up these habitats and improve water quality.

I feel I should pay tribute to my incredible local volunteers who do operate along the coastline, given that over the weekend it was the opening of the surf lifesaving season and these wonderful volunteers will be working very hard over the coming months to keep everyone safe on the beach. I would like to acknowledge President Georgina Cole, who looks after the Glenelg Surf Life Saving Club; President Warwick Holland, who looks after Somerton Surf Life Saving Club; President Chris Parsons of the Brighton Surf Life Saving Club; and Dr Glen Patten OAM of the Seacliff Surf Live Saving Club.

It was also over the course of the weekend the season opening for my yacht clubs, and we had our very first female commodore, Lisa Brock, elected to the Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club. I want to again congratulate Lisa, whom I saw on Saturday. It is also the 100th anniversary of the Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club this year. I attended the Somerton Yacht Club opening day, and it was wonderful the see new Commodore Paul Townsend presiding over his first season opening. Finally, I will recognise David Bagshaw, who runs 5049 Coastal Community, who do so much wonderful environmental work around the Marino and Seacliff area.

Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for the debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.