Tuesday, 10 May 2022


Adjournment

Mornington Peninsula beach erosion


Ms BURNETT-WAKE

Mornington Peninsula beach erosion

Ms BURNETT-WAKE (Eastern Victoria) (16:56): (1894) My adjournment request is directed to the Minister for Ports and Freight and concerns numerous beaches that have been impacted by dredging, man-made constructions and climate change along the Mornington Peninsula side of Port Phillip Bay. Thank you to the state Liberal candidates Sam Groth, Liberal for Nepean, and Chris Crewther, Liberal for Mornington, for bringing this issue to my attention. The action that I seek is for the minister to work with the peninsula community to develop solutions and take action to fix the many eroding Port Phillip beaches along the peninsula.

Since dredging works began in Port Phillip Bay in 2008 many beaches along the peninsula have been impacted by serious erosion, including but not limited to Portsea front beach. Shire Hall Beach in Mornington is also eroding due to a man-made construction. The wave screen installed on the Mornington Pier has led to the destruction of the beautiful local beach. The Mornington News reported that an environment effects statement for the proposed wave screen states:

Changes will be evident through an increase in beach erosion from Shire Hall Beach …

Despite knowing this, the government have done nothing to address the issue. It has become so bad that the sand has washed away and left rough rocks right up to the beach boxes. Parents are digging trenches through the rocks so their kids can get out to the sand. A local woman also recently broke her leg just by stepping down onto the sand from the beach boxes, as the sand has eroded so much it has now exposed a rocky surface. In the same article from the Mornington News from February this year, a regional director from the Department of Environment, Land Water and Planning, Stephen Chapple, was quoted as saying the erosion was a ‘naturally occurring process’ and put the issue down to climate change. This directly contradicts the statement in the environment effects statement from years ago and is a clear refusal to accept responsibility.

There have been numerous studies on the impact of dredging and the wave screen, some of which the government refuses to release, instead opting to blame the issue on climate change alone. Other beaches that are also suffering from erosion that need intervention and restitution works include Mount Martha north, Hawker Beach, Blairgowrie beach, Dromana and Point Lonsdale. The Mornington Peninsula is renowned for its beautiful beaches, and without action we risk losing one of the Eastern Victoria Region’s most loved attractions. I call on the government to meet with stakeholders on the peninsula, develop solutions and take action to fix our eroding beaches.