Port Stephens Waterways

30-May-2011

Mr CRAIG BAUMANN (Port Stephens—Parliamentary Secretary) [1.50 p.m.]: Today I speak about a serious environmental threat to the pristine marine life and waters of the magnificent Port Stephens. I have spoken countless times in this place about the problem with sand movements along the northern shore of Port Stephens and the subsequent problems in the Myall River. After years of fierce lobbying the Myall River Action Group and indeed the wider Hawks Nest-Tea Gardens community and I are one step closer to finding a solution with the long-awaited study into the problem now on public exhibition at Great Lakes Council. The study was funded by the Government and Great Lakes Council and carried out by Dr Philip Haines and his team from consultants BMT WTM. Once Great Lakes Council has resolved to support one of the study's options for a long-term solution to clear the eastern channel of the Myall and to protect Jimmys Beach, I will be making representations to this Government for assistance.

While that study was being compiled last year I alerted members to the emerging environmental degradation at Halifax Point, one of the most popular and beautiful dive sites in Australia, on the southern shore of Port Stephens. Huge amounts of sand were migrating west from the eastern end of Shoal Bay and spilling onto the dive site, smothering delicate marine life. Port Stephens Council worked frantically to excavate sand from Halifax Point and relocate it to the eastern end of Shoal Bay until Christmas tourist numbers made the work dangerous and impractical. Some 20,000 cubic metres were relocated and we hoped for some breathing space until Dr Haines could conclude his study and apply his modelling to the shifting sands of Shoal Bay.
Around two weeks ago, after an inquiry from a local journalist, I was horrified to discover that Fly Point, to the west of Halifax, is being approached by a sand wave of thousands of cubic metres—sand that will destroy the pristine sponge gardens and marine life. I immediately met with Nelson Bay dive operators, Shane Murtagh, who taught two of my sons to dive, and Adam and Emma Shorter, along with Maryanne Samson of Nelson Bay Town Management, and my fears increased. Shane introduced one of his divers, Tim Austin. Tim is doing a doctorate through the Sydney University faculty of geosciences, and the subject of his doctorial dissertation is "Sand Movement in Port Stephens". Tim has been monitoring sand movement within the port for three years and I know his knowledge will be called upon as we find a solution to save Fly Point.

As well as the environmental threat, Port Stephens' multi-million dollar tourism economy is also under threat. The Newcastle Herald has highlighted the situation, with dire front page headlines declaring the reef is at risk and that our blue water wonderland has become a water wasteland. My gut feeling as an engineer is that the problems with sand in the Myall River and at Shoal Bay are part of the same problem, but I should emphasise that sand movement is not one of my strong suits and I admire anybody who can follow the science involved. On the Monday morning after that Saturday meeting I contacted Max Haste, the manager of the Port Stephens Great Lakes Marine Park. Max was entering a meeting with other agency experts to discuss this serious threat. I advised Max of Tim Austin's area of study and reminded him of Philip Haine's modelling, of which he was well aware. There are many issues that must be addressed so that we can save Fly Point and I know that Max and his team are working flat out to address these issues. The description of Halifax Park on Shane's Feet First Dive website reads:

At Halifax Park you are met by Frank, the huge Blue Groper, as you descend down past colourful sponge gardens to the 18m mark. There is one particular spot we call The Boobs, where you will see twin coral heads. During your dive you are likely to see thousands of fish, moray eels and occasionally a turtle. If you are lucky a dolphin may just swim by! This site drops down to 28m where the sand meets the coral gardens. It is easily accessible via a stone path onto a sandy area. This is a fully protected site—which means divers only!

That stone path access area is now completely covered in sand and where once there was a rocky vertical shore there is now a sand dune. We cannot let Fly Point suffer the same fate. The Chamber is familiar with my belief that the natural environment in my electorate is unique and that I have a propensity to refer to myself, quite rightly, as the member for Paradise. My belief that Port Stephens is indeed a natural treasure is shared by others—the site is rated as one of Australia's top five shore-dive sites. I have experienced firsthand this natural beauty by diving Halifax and Fly Point. The solution to protecting the Port Stephens marine environment will not come cheap. I know we have inherited an economic basket case from a financially incompetent Labor Government, but we will need to find funding to solve this potential environmental and economic disaster.