Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Moore is a spectacular coastal electorate along the popular northern beaches of Perth, coveted by the Prime Minister. The 20-kilometre stretch from the City of Stirling to the City of Joondalup is utilised daily by thousands of local residents. Coastal erosion is a major problem at the popular Mettams Pool and Watermans Bay, where infrastructure, including access stairs and ramps, have been washed away and the beaches have become rocky. The dunes, footpaths, public toilets, utilities and major infrastructure along West Coast Drive are at risk of erosion.

In response, the local government has implemented measures including sand renourishment, dune restoration, and sandbagging at considerable expense to ratepayers. The City of Stirling expends $600,000 annually on coastal erosion treatments and, in the longer term, will need to implement extremely costly and capital-intensive engineered measures such as artificial reefs, groynes and seawalls.

I endorse the motion moved at last year's Australian Local Government Association conference by the Mayor of Stirling, Mark Irwin, and call upon the Albanese government to urgently provide federal funding to local governments to protect coastal areas from the effects of erosion. Local government ratepayers should not be left to bear the full burden of implementing engineered coastal protection measures.