Shark attack beach ban sparks calls for compo as businesses hit hard
Businesses operating on Adelaide’s beachfronts say their bottom lines were hammered by the state government’s snap decision to cancel school ocean activities.
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A statewide ban on ocean swimming lessons has cost one seaside community more than $30,000 according to the state opposition, as it called on the government to compensate short-changed businesses.
The drastic “swim ban” was briefly enacted by the Education Department after 32-year-old Bridgette O’Shannessy was mauled by a shark at Pt Noarlunga beach last Friday.
After Surf Life Saving SA slammed the decision, which it said was made “without consultation and in isolation”, the Department on overturned it on Wednesday.
However, independent member for Narungga Fraser Ellis told parliament during Wednesday’s question time that local traders had suffered a huge revenue loss as schools hastily cancelled their bookings.
“Mark and Sharon Haydon of Port Vincent Caravan Park lost $30,000 worth of bookings yesterday alone,” Mr Ellis said.
“Mark Short from Port Vincent Aquatics has 20 casual staff who won’t be paid after next week, thanks to cancellations.”
A manager of a service provider business at Port Vincent, who did not wish to be named, backed the call for compensation and said the ban had cost the community more than $30,000.
“Everything helps, especially at this time when small business are struggling big time,” he said.
“There’s currently small businesses that are having to beat the cost they handed out during Covid. Especially with the higher wages and stuff that’s going, every little bit that they can recoup from the government when they make these decisions helps.”
He said his own business had lost about $15,000 in bookings and that while lifting the ban would partially recover those losses, more action was needed.
“If they had provided it and services could resume by Monday, then I think from our side of it we wouldn’t be too bad,” he said.
“We’ve still got some groups coming. You’re never going to recoup the costs and you can’t always make up for lost time.”
Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer said the Education Department had encouraged all schools to keep their bookings and that there were processes to seek compensation from the Department.
“I’m very hopeful that will result in any of those businesses, like the one raised with me by the member of Narungga, that might have lost some trade get that trade back,” Mr Boyer said.
“I’ve spoken directly to the two businesses in question, they were very pleased to hear the news that things were going to be back up and running and I think they’re really hopeful that the bookings will come back.
“We said we’re going to encourage all our schools to do that.”
Mr Boyer said he was not aware of any other businesses that had lost income due to the ban.
Opposition Leader David Speirs, who believes “shark attacks are incredibly rare,” called the ban a “ridiculous overreach”.
“As someone who was a surf lifesaver for ten years and who represents a coastal
electorate, I’m passionate about children learning essential water safety skills and cancelling these activities for the rest of the term has been a huge mistake,” Mr Speirs said.
“The fallout from this snap ban is deepening, with news that businesses have suddenly and unexpectedly lost thousands of dollars of income through no fault of their own.
“Peter Malinauskas needs to make this right and offer compensation for businesses who are hurting due to these school activity cancellations.”
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