Joint media release with Senator The Hon Jenny Mcallister
The Albanese Government will invest in 34 projects nationwide worth $50 million across the nation to further strengthen communities and local economies against the risks and impacts of disasters.
Through the Coastal and Estuarine Risk Mitigation Program, the funding will go to state and territory governments to target projects such as the construction of rock seawalls and nearshore breakwaters, large-scale beach erosion protection, building the capacity of coastal land use planners and improving community awareness of coastal hazards.
Minister for Emergency Management Senator the Hon Murray Watt said climate change was expected to increase the risks of natural disasters and coastal hazards like storm surges, coastal inundation and shoreline erosion.
“One in two Australians live within seven kilometres of the coast, potentially exposed to coastal flooding as severe weather events increase,” Minister Watt said.
“We need to be better prepared for the natural hazard induced events that we know will be coming in more frequency and more severity.
“Investing properly in disaster mitigation is a priority of the Albanese Government and that is why, on top of this funding, we are committed to our new Disaster Ready Fund that will invest up to $200 million a year in disaster mitigation.”
Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Senator Jenny McAllister said it was critical for communities to build resilience to long-term climate changes.
“Climate-induced hazards are becoming more frequent, and it is important our response is informed by nationally authoritative climate information, like that contributed to this process by the Australian Climate Service,” Assistant Minister McAllister said.
“I’m pleased to see the program includes nature-based solutions to build resilience, which recognises that adaptation is not just about ‘hard’ infrastructure solutions.”
The program comes off the back of recommendations from the
Royal Commission into ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Natural Disaster Arrangements which highlighted the need to mitigate risks to low lying coastal communities due to predicted sea level rises and more regular and intense storm surges.
The 34 projects include:
- $4.7 million for large-scale beach nourishment to mitigate extensive coastal erosion threats for Stockton Beach at Newcastle, New South Wales
- $7.8 million for state-wide survey of key coastal regions of Western Australia to better understand coastal hazards and their impacts
- $1.9 million for construction of a rock seawall at Wyomi in South Australia to the north and south of the existing seawall to minimise the imminent coastal erosion risk
- $1 million for construction of three nearshore breakwaters or detached headlands to deliver stabilisation of Clifton Beach, one of the northern beaches of Cairns, Queensland
- $750,000 for a state-wide review of contaminated coastal land in Victoria and a pathways approach to long-term strategic management.
A full list of successful projects is listed below.
Project title | Description | Funding |
|---|---|---|
New South Wales | ||
Stockton Beach Nourishment | This project will help to mitigate extensive coastal erosion threats in accordance with the certified Coastal Management Program. | $4,725,700.00 |
Queensland | ||
Clifton Beach Coastal Protection Works | This project will deliver stabilisation of approximately 890m of coastline to mitigate long-term coastal retreat and improve resilience to storm erosion. | $1,037,000.00 |
Golden Beach Coastal Hazard Mitigation and Drainage Options Analysis | This project will support the delivery of the Sunshine Coast Council’s Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy to combat risks around the region’s changed tidal dynamics. | $419,800.00 |
State-wide Nearshore Bathymetry Survey for Improved Coastal Hazard Assessment | This project will capture high-resolution nearshore bathymetry and near coast land levels along developed sections of the coast, significantly improving the State and Local governments’ ability to risk assess coastal hazards. | $3,200,000.00 |
Reassessment of Tidal Planes at First Nation and Other Remote Communities to Improve Coastal Hazard Risk Assessment | This project will improve the accuracy of tidal levels for 10 remote locations where information is inadequate or non-existent. | $197,423.00 |
Investigation into the sand resource at Dayman Spit to enable protection of community assets with beach nourishment | This project will support investigations, planning and design to enable Council to identify location and seek permits to source sand from Dayman Spit and undertake large-scale beach nourishment for erosion protection of this developed coast. | $243,000.00 |
Sunshine Coast & Noosa Regional Coastal Process Model for Improved Coastal Hazards Management | This project aims to develop a regional coastal process model to help improve understandings of coastal hazard impacts on beaches, and the effect of different management options that improve resilience. | $315,750.00 |
Seawall construction at Urangan to protect public infrastructure from coastal erosion | The project will deliver protection from the ongoing sea erosion occurring at Urangan on the Fraser coast. | $2,430,000.00 |
Lucinda Groyne Field Replacement Review and Design | This project will replace the sand trapping groynes originally installed to control sea erosion. | $93,375.00 |
Crab Creek Erosion Remediation, Tin Can Bay | The project will involve construction of a revetment to halt erosion and reduce risk to assets in the Crab Creek recreational area at Tin Can Bay. | $146,250.00 |
Tsunami Risk Assessment for the Gladstone Regional Area | This project will undertake tsunami inundation modelling for the Gladstone Region, which is amongst the top 10 most at-risk locations for tsunami in Queensland. | $300,000.00 |
South Australia | ||
The Barunga West Council Coastal Protection Project | This project involves the implementation of a range of protection measures focussed on coastal erosion. | $359,000.00 |
Coastal Adaptation for South Australia – CA4SA Project: Bringing science and people together to mitigate coastal risks | This project accelerates development and use of adaptation strategies by establishing foundations of quality data and on-going monitoring to underpin disaster risk and vulnerability assessment. | $3,707,000.00 |
Encounter Bay Coastal Protection Sea Wall | This project will create a resilient foreshore for local community and visitors. This is a low-lying part of the coast that will come under increased risk of inundation due to storm surges and future impacts of climate change as sea levels rise. | $518,000.00 |
Wyomi Stage 2 Seawall Construction | The project involves construction of a 345m Stage 2 rock seawall at Wyomi to the north and south of the existing Stage 1 seawall. | $1,953,750.00 |
Data Collection and Modelling Study: Horseshoe Bay, Port Elliot, South Australia | This project will support the local council to take a proactive, best practice approach to data collection and modelling. This will support future master planning and future proofing the Bay and its intrinsic value for the community. | $112,500.00 |
Lower Eyre Peninsula Coastal Adaptation and Emergency Management Strategy | This project will develop coastal adaptation strategies for North Shields and Tulka and emergency management plans for Tulka and Farm Beach to identify hazards, mitigation and management measures associated with coastal inundation risk. | $60,000.00 |
Tasmania | ||
Scamander River Coastal Hazards Risk Mitigation and Pathways Planning | This project addresses increasing risks to public and private assets from coastal erosion and inundation at the Scamander River mouth when high seas and floodwaters combine during extreme weather. | $165,000.00 |
Coastal Hazard Risk Reduction in Southern Beaches Region | The project intends to promote disaster risk reduction in communities. The main objective of the project is to deliver safe coastal living to Southern beaches region by safeguarding erosion prone dunes, remediating already eroded dunes and by providing safe stormwater services. | $1,868,508.00 |
Victoria | ||
Contaminated Soil and Coastal Hazard Disaster Risk | This project will be a flagship project for dealing with contaminated coastal land in Victoria. This will include a first pass state-wide review, documenting coastal hazard risk management and adaptation principles for coastal landfill sites, and a pathways approach to long-term strategic management. | $750,000.00 |
Port Phillip Bay North-Western Shoreline Coastal Hazard Adaptation Planning | This project will provide State led support to develop a regional Coastal Hazard Adaptation and Resilience Plan. This will be delivered through a statutory Regional and Strategic Partnership. | $950,000.00 |
South Gippsland Shire Coastal Levee Review and Infrastructure Planning | This project will incorporate a coastal levees assessment with disaster risk mitigation and adaptation planning, aligned to progressing regional adaptation for communities and primary industries. | $150,000.00 |
Mainstreaming Nature Based Adaptation in Victoria | This project will implement a suite of pilot on-ground nature based treatments in priority areas, to reduce erosion and inundation risk and maximise multiple benefits. | $1,500,000.00 |
Cape to Cape Resilience Project on-ground works | This project will reduce disaster risk to critical infrastructure and services for the Inverloch township and surrounding region. | $3,300,000.00 |
Victorian Estuary Resilience and Hazard Risk Reduction | This project will help mitigate coastal hazard risk for a diversity of estuary values including public infrastructure and critical assets, and reduce the need for artificial estuary openings. | $1,500,000.00 |
Victorian Coastal Monitoring Program Early Warning Pilot System and Sentinel Sites | This project will build on the Victorian Coastal Monitoring Program, and expand into the realm of developing early warning system capabilities. | $826,985.00 |
Western Australia | ||
Coast Capture WA | This project will support the state to conduct an updated coastal landform and seabed capture to build coastal digital elevation models. These models will help develop a better understanding of potential social, environmental and economic exposure, vulnerability and impacts. | $7,865,500.00 |
C Y O’Connor Engineered Fringing Reef Stage 2 | This project supports the extension of the wave-attenuating Engineered Fringing Reef at C Y O’Connor Beach to create an additional 100m length of modular reef. This will help reduce erosion risk to vulnerable foreshore areas. | $600,000.00 |
Upgraded revetment for Denham Foreshore and Town Centre | This project will upgrade the existing foreshore revetment to an engineered structure designed to provide increased protection to the town site from risks associated with coastal hazards, including inundation. | $1,609,986.75 |
West Busselton Coastal Stabilisation | This project aims to provide longer term coastal protection to mitigate the impacts of coastal hazards along the coast between King Street and Gale Street in Busselton. | $1,070,500.00 |
City of Joondalup Coastal Risk Adaptation Program | This project will include the upgrading of the City of Joondalup’s coastal assets. | $943,697.00 |
Vincent Street Seawall Refurbishment | This project will refurbish the existing 400m seawall structure to ensure it continues to function as a coastal protection structure for a reasonable design life. | $1,636,078.75 |
Mindarie Breakwater Upgrade | This project will deliver significant breakwater upgrades to Mindarie Breakwater to reduce safety risks and ensure continued functionality over the next 50 years. | $3,383,000.00 |
Esperance Bay – Sand Back-Passing Infrastructure | This project will install a permanent pipeline infrastructure from Bandy Creek Boat Harbour to the erosion hotspot in the Esperance Bay and install two electric slurry booster pumps along the pipeline. | $2,062,196.00 |
