PROTECT
OUR ENVIRONMENT

The Sand Pipeline and Semaphore - Largs Bay Beaches

Climate change impacts Australia with rising sea levels, storm surges and increased storm intensity/frequency. When sand is harvested from beaches, the physical beach is lowered, causing an immediate relative sea-level rise. As a result, sand harvesting makes metropolitan beaches and dunes more vulnerable to climate change. Subsequent storm surges create a compounding event that accelerates beach and dune erosion. Climate change is real, and the significant risks to our coastline must be addressed by our local council. The dunes not only provide a habitat for our native flora and fauna but are our best protection against the effects of the rising sea level.

The pipeline will harvest 100% of its sand from Semaphore and Largs Bay beaches for 25 years. This will lead to the destruction of our local beaches and dunes through accelerated erosion. To avoid this, alternative solutions must be considered. These alternative solutions will benefit not only West Beach but the greater Adelaide coastline in providing beach nourishment and have been successfully implemented abroad.

I have been actively involved in advocating against the sand mining of our beaches and have made deputations to our council, our Local Members of Parliament, the Coastal Protection Board and the Department of the Environment. I have presented at public meetings warning of the dangers of the present policies and suggested alternative approaches to maintaining West Beach.

My professional training and experience equip me to make meaningful contributions to the ongoing debate on behalf of our community within the Council and to higher levels of government. This is the role of a Councillor. Our environment and community must be protected.

Successful Actions Taken against the sand pipeline

On 13 June 2023, I was successful in advocating against the pipeline. My motion, unanimously supported by all Councillors in the chamber, directed the City of Port Adelaide Enfield to inform the Department for Environment and Water via the Adelaide Beach Management Review that it does not support the sand pipeline as an option. This statement informs DEW that our community does not support the sand pipeline and must seek other options.