Save our jetties: Local Government Association launches portal so people can lobby their MP

Pressure is mounting for the State Government to dig deep in its next budget to save our crumbling jetties. Now there’s a new way to lobby your MP.

South Australians are being urged to lobby their member of parliament for increased funding towards repairing the state’s growing list of dilapidated jetties.

The Local Government Association has launched an online portal from which people can email their local parliamentarian urging them to get behind a Sunday Mail Save Our Jetties campaign.

The email tells politicians there are 75 state government-owned jetties in SA, and some are badly in need of structural repair or significant maintenance.

“These iconic landmarks connect locals and attract visitors to different towns, bringing financial gain to small business,” the email says.

LGA President Mayor Dean Johnson is urging South Australians to lobby their local MP for increased funding to maintain and repair our jetties. Picture: Supplied

“We need a better deal for jetties. This includes a sustainable funding model which protects their future and doesn’t push the burden of ageing coastal infrastructure on to communities and councils.

“A sensible and sustainable model for jetty leases will ease the burden on ratepayers.

“I urge you to … take steps to address the issue.”

LGA president Dean Johnson said the stories highlighted in the Sunday Mail over the past few weeks had put a human face on the issue of SA jetties and their gradual degradation.

“Without a better long-term model from the State Government, more jetties are at risk of closing and it’s communities who will suffer most.

“Our quick and easy feature on the LGA site means everyone can reach out to their local Member of Parliament and tell them exactly why the State Government should allocate more funding to jetties in its upcoming state budget.

“If we lose our jetties, we lose a crucial part of our state’s identity. We need to make our voices heard and ensure our jetties aren’t left to fall by the wayside.”

Decades of neglect from all levels of government have left communities fearing authorities will have little choice other than close their jetties amid increasing safety concerns.

Port Germein is just one of many regional jetties facing ballooning repair costs. Picture Dean Martin

Of the 75 state-owned jetties in SA, 36 are leased back to local government on long-term contracts on the condition the councils pay for their maintenance.

But many councils say this is an unfair arrangement and compare it to a landlord asking a tenant to foot the bill for house repairs.

An LGA report released earlier this year found people visiting jetties injected more than $103m to the SA economy each year.

The report found at least $36 million is needed over the next three decades to ensure 15 of the state’s 35 leased-out jetties remain safe and structurally sound.

But many communities, including Tumby Bay, Port Augusta, Port Germein, Yorke Peninsula and Kingston have reported their jetties needing repair works of up to $10m or more, suggesting the actual bill to future-proof the assets is likely to be much higher.

www.lga.sa.gov.au/jetties