Tumby Bay Jetty future in doubt after council looks to terminate lease

After severe weather damaged several of the state’s treasured jetties, another is caught in a firestorm between a local council and a fired-up state government minister.

Tumby Bay District Council mayor Geoff Churchett said the council decided to end the lease because it could not afford to repair and maintain the jetty. Picture Dean Martin

One of the state’s most iconic jetties faces closure or demolition after a cash-strapped regional council attempted to return control of the historic asset to the State Government.

Tumby Bay locals fear for the future of the jetty in the wake of their council deciding against renewing its long-term lease because it can’t afford the upkeep.

The council told The Advertiser custodianship of the Eyre Peninsula jetty, and one in neighbouring Port Neill, would return to the state government on Friday, after a week when storms severely damaged several other jetties across the state.

But the council decision to relinquish control of the jetty it has leased since 1999 has sparked an angry response from Infrastructure and Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis.

The council’s decision to relinquish control of the jetty sparked an angry response from Infrastructure and Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis. Picture: Dean Martin

“It is clear that Tumby Bay Council has taken a very deliberate approach dating back several years, to abrogate its responsibilities to maintain the Tumby jetty and hope someone else bails it out,” Mr Koutsantonis said.

“Our advice is that appropriate maintenance has not been done over an extended period, and that there is an obligation for council to perform significant improvement work before it can hand the asset back to the state in a condition that accords with its contractual obligation.

“If it does not do so, the State Government will have to consider its options, which include legal action to enforce the council’s obligations under its lease, and closure or demolition of the jetty.

“The responsibility for either outcome would fall squarely on the Tumby Bay council.”

Mr Koutsantonis said the government had advised Tumby Bay Council the jetty would remain its responsibility “unless or until it returns it in an appropriate condition”.

Tumby Bay is one of 75 state-owned jetties in South Australia, 36 of which 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.

Leases for many jetties expire on a staggered time-frame over the next few years, and Tumby Bay is the first council to terminate the lease.

“This decision smacks of a council simply unwilling to invest in preserving a significant local amenity,” Mr Koutsantonis said.

Tumby Bay’s decision to relinquish its lease came on the back of two ratepayer surveys which rejected proposals to increase rates to fund jetty repairs.

The jetty reopened 12 months ago after it was closed for two years following storm damage in 2022. But the repairs to the century-old jetty were only temporary and cost estimates for a permanent fix ranged from $4.8m to $14m.

The council rejected a State Government offer of $2.4m towards the repair bill. The offer was tied with a proviso the council match it dollar-for-dollar and extend its lease for another 15 years.

Mayor Geoff Churchett said the council made the tough call to reject the offer and end the lease because it could not afford its half of the repair bill, and urged Mr Koutsantonis to sit down with the council and work through the issues.

“We’re there for the people, working for the people, and that was their strong, strong voice – that they’re not prepared to put any more money in,” he said.

“And ultimately, the only way we’re going to be able to put more money into it, into the jetties, is to raise council rates – it’s not as though we can go selling off other assets.”