Iconic Sydney beaches could go untested for contamination amid cost cutting

A blame game has broken out over who decided to cut funding to the Beachwatch program which tests beaches for contamination including faecal matter.

A program testing beaches on Sydney’s coastline for contamination, including from human faeces, could be axed over a fight over who should pay for the service, in a move which a water quality expert says could destroy the city’s international reputation.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that the Beachwatch program will stop testing water at beaches like Bondi, Coogee and Manly for contaminants like faecal matter from July next year, unless councils cough up the cash.

There is now a war of words over who is responsible for the “crappy” decision, with the department blaming the former government and the Coalition blaming Labor.

The Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) wrote to councils on Sydney’s coast earlier this month to advise them that from next year, they would need to “opt-in” to the program, which would move to a “fee-for-service” model, to enable the program to expand statewide.

The testing was previously paid for by the state government.

Locals Helene Duebel, Laura Hegarty & Inez Koolhaas on Bondi Beach on Synday. The state government will stop testing beaches on Sydney's coastline for contamination, including that from human poo, unless councils start to pay for the service. Picture: Tim Pascoe.

The Beachwatch program monitors water quality at beaches across NSW. It tests for pollution and contamination, including from enterococci bacteria as an indicator of whether faecal matter is in the water.

Furious councils have refused to say whether they will pay for the service that was previously free, and are all demanding meetings with government bureaucrats.

Waverley Council, which boasts Bondi, Tamarama and Bronte beaches, said it would cost the council $19,000 per year to continue testing.

A very hot day in Sydney with many people flocking to Bondi Beach to cool down on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire

“Council had not allocated budget to provide this service and looks forward to working with the NSW Government so that they continue to resource it,” a spokeswoman said.

Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins, whose local government area contains Manly beach and a spate of other popular tourist spots, said she was “disappointed by the move” and seeing more information before making “any decision” about proposed changes.

The council expects it would have to pay as much as $130,000 per year to continue the current testing regime.

Randwick Council, which includes Coogee beach, said it was quoted a $39,669 per year fee to continue testing.

University of Sydney Civil Engineering Professor Stuart Khan said forcing councils to pay would be the “nail in the coffin” for the Beachwatch program.

He warned that if the program was cut, beaches could progressively get more and more contaminated and the government would be none the wiser.

There are fears iconic Sydney beaches like Bondi will go untested if the cuts go ahead. Picture: NCA NewsWire

“It’s telling us about how our beaches are faring over the long term,” he said.

“So you have to have that longer term view so that you can start to see when things are starting to turn.”

He said the decision could destroy Sydney’s reputation for “clean beaches”.

“That’s a major part of our drawcard as a destination for people to come and have holidays,” he said.

Inez Koolhaas (right), says it would be a blow to Sydney’s reputation if its beaches were not clean. She enjoyed a day at Bondi on Sunday with locals Helene Duebel and Laura Hegarty Picture: Tim Pascoe

“People across the world now Bondi Beach and they expect it to be somewhere that’s safe to swim.”

In a statement, the department blamed the previous Coalition government for the changes.

“The previous government made the decision in the June 2022 budget to align the Sydney coastal area with the existing arrangements for all other participating Beachwatch councils,” a spokeswoman said.

That was denied by former Environment Minister James Griffin.

He said a 10-year strategy released under the Coalition planned for Beachwatch to be expanded, “Nowhere in the strategy was a fee-for-service model proposed,” he said.

The former government committed $18.5 million in the last budget to expand the scheme.

Liberal Environment spokeswoman Kellie Sloane blamed the Labor government for the cuts. Pics by Julian Andrews

Opposition environment spokeswoman Kellie Sloane said the attempt to cut Beachwatch spending for Sydney’s main beaches was a “crappy decision”.

“The Labor government is once again betraying coastal NSW communities,” she said.

Beachgoer Andrea Van Houten said it was “unfair” to force the costs onto councils.

If it’s not in their interest to keep testing the beaches, the quality might decline.”

Eastern Beaches local Inez Koolhaas believed the government should be responsible for maintaining the Beachwatch program.

“I think Sydney is very well known for the beautiful beaches and beautiful clean water,” Ms Koolhaas said.

“So if the water isn’t clean it would be a pretty strong blow to Sydney’s reputation.”