Legislative Council
The Hon. M.J. ELLIOTT: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Transport and Urban Planning a question about the breakwaters at Holdfast Shores.
Leave granted. The Hon. M.J. ELLIOTT: The breakwaters at Holdfast Shores are not working according to the predictions that were made prior to the environmental impact assessment. The understanding was that dredging at the Patawalonga would have occurred for two months of the year. Indeed, my understanding is that the dredge has been there almost permanently, trying to remove— The Hon. A.J. Redford: It's creating jobs. The Hon. M.J. ELLIOTT: Well, it's a dredge-led recovery! An honourable member interjecting: The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. M.J. ELLIOTT: And you can put another one down at West Beach, too—as well as the one that is working at North Haven. Those dredges would, of course, be working at Government expense. One of the major reasons for the Holdfast Shores was to fix the sandbar problem at the mouth. We appear now to have a far more serious problem than that with which we started. I understand that there is now some suggestion that the breakwaters are to be extended. Despite the fact that apparently some intensive and extensive scientific work was carried out which guaranteed that the first ones would work, there is now a proposal for a further extension. My questions are:1. Will the Minister inform this Council what the dredging costs have been since the construction commenced at Glenelg?
2. If there is to be an extension to the breakwaters, who will bear the cost, and what is the estimated cost? 3. How extensive and intensive will the scientific analyses be of any proposed changes to the current breakwaters?The Hon. DIANA LAIDLAW: I will seek information about the dredging costs. In terms of the breakwater proposals, it was one of a number of suggestions by a marine consultant. I understand that this issue was considered at a meeting last December. There are further questions to be asked. It has not been pursued.
Read the Government's reply: 23 March 1999