Archive for category: Media Announcement

The NSW Government is attempting to shift the costs of its successful and long-running NSW Beachwatch program to coastal councils in Sydney.  The NSW Beachwatch program helps people make informed decisions about when and where to swim.

Sydney Coastal Councils Group (SCCG), representing nine coastal and estuarine councils in Sydney, supports the program’s value to not only local residents but to the broader NSW community and international tourists that visit our world-renowned beaches.  However, it rejects the NSW Government’s attempts to shift the cost of the program to local councils for what is a state government responsibility.

Generally, Councils have no control over the land or waterways below mean high water where Beachwatch monitoring is conducted.  Councils also have no control over sewers which is the primary source of bacteriological contamination of waterways that impact on swimming.

Costs for the service provided by the NSW Government to coastal councils represent a significant financial impost on councils that are already grappling with increasing community expectations, constrained budgets and other forms of state government cost-shifting.

In light of this, the SCCG calls on the NSW Government to maintain the NSW Beachwatch program as a fully-funded state program without shifting costs to Sydney coastal councils.

SCCG also calls on the Minister for the Environment, in consultation with the Minister for Water, to request Sydney Water, as the provider of sewerage services in Sydney, to take a role in water quality monitoring at Beachwatch sites.

New funding for environment and heritage in Budget 2022-23 include:

• $286.2 million over four years to implement the NSW Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041 and NSW Plastics Action Plan
• $148.4 million over two years to manage the clean-up and removal of flood and storm-related damage, debris and green waste from the 2022 floods
• $106.7 million over three years to increase the supply of biodiversity offset credits through a new Biodiversity Credits Supply Fund
• $42.9 million over four years for the Me-Mel (Goat Island) Remediation, paving the way for the transfer of the island to the First Nations communities
• $18.5 million over 10 years to expand Beachwatch to a state-wide program, meeting community demand for water-quality monitoring in NSW swim sites
• $60 million of continued funding for the Saving our Species program

(These figures were reported by the Australian Financial News to access the direct news source and to read more, click here.)

Other important budget highlights include:

• $182 million to fund the remaining six years of the 10-year Marine Estate Management Strategy
• $34.3 million to support climate change adaptation with options for cost-effective emissions reductions without the loss of productivity, increased carbon storage and sequestration, and adoption of energy-efficient and renewable-energy technologies that support sustainable adaptation to climate change

(These figures were reported by the Australian Financial News to access the direct news source and to read more, click here.)

A total water cycle management outcome has been developed for the Western Sydney Aerotropolis in consultation with Sydney Water. Under this management approach, stormwater will be diverted into natural water channels and collected, treated, and harvested as recycled water to support greening in the local area. This will reduce the reliance of drinking water to green our cities and allow for recreational activities to be enjoyed around the planned stormwater infrastructure.

For the full press release click here.

For further details see section 4.5 Blue-Green Infrastructure Framework in the Western Sydney Aerotropolis Precinct Plan.

On 21 October 2021, the Minister for Local Government, Shelley Hancock MP, announced that Coastal Councils will be given a two year extension to complete their coastal management programs. Under the Coastal Management Amendment Bill 2021 councils now have until 31 December 2023 for the Coastal Zone Management Plan to be competed including implementation of the identified actions. The Coastal and Estuary Grants Program allows funding for CZMP actions at a funding ration of 1:1. Funding for preparation and implementation of Coastal Management Program is at 2:1.

The Minister announced this important amendment by way of a media release, stating “we recognise local councils up and down the coast have been doing it tough these past two years so this extension is a sensible measure to prevent any council from falling behind”.

Minister Hancock went on to say “the extra time will also allow councils to carry out planned emergency works during major coastal erosion events that are addressed in their CZMPs while they continue to develop a CMP”.

For further information, see the full media release here.