Putting people before sharks a net gain for all

The Minns government’s decision to trial the removal of shark nets from Sydney’s iconic beaches is a reckless capitulation to green ideology over community safety, writes Rachel Merton.

Swimmers inside the safety of the shark net at Balmoral Beach, the day after a shark attack on a swimmer in Sydney Harbour at Elizabeth Bay in January 2024. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

The Minns government’s decision to trial the removal of shark nets from Sydney’s iconic beaches is a reckless capitulation to green ideology over community safety.

Since 1937, shark nets across 51 beaches from Newcastle to Wollongong have been our bulwark against tragedy.

Sydney has recorded not a single fatal shark attacks on our netted beaches since 1951, despite millions entering the water and despite Sydney’s population more than tripling in the past 74 years.

The NSW shark meshing program has been a spectacular government success story for many decades – not many government programs can claim that sort of achievement.

This is not luck. And it’s no mere statistic.

It is a testament to a system that prioritises the protection of human life, a value now under siege by an ideologically-driven environmental movement that sees the safety of beach-loving families and children as secondary to a rapidly increasing shark population.

The government’s trial, driven by pressure from green municipalities such as the woeful and inept Northern Beaches Council ignores some stark warnings.

Marcel Green, a program leader at NSW Shark Management, notes the dangerous and aggressive bull sharks now linger longer due to warmer waters, increasing risks.

More than 50 shark sightings were reported on Sydney beaches last month alone.

Yet, the Minns Labor government bows to a movement that prioritises marine bycatch over human safety.

This is not just policy folly – it’s gambling with lives.

Western Australia’s experience is a concerning cautionary tale.

Since the state wound down shark culling in 2014, WA has seen nearly a dozen fatal shark attacks, including a death in March this year that prompted renewed calls for nets.

Meanwhile in Queensland, despite SMART drumlines and drones, a 17-year-old was killed at Bribie Island in February, highlighting the limits of “modern” alternatives.

Swimmers inside the safety of the shark net at Balmoral Beach. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

In contrast, NSW’s netted beaches have remained a sanctuary for generations.

Swimmers over the years have traditionally been more concerned with blue bottles or floaters from the Malabar outfall than sharks.

The tragic 2022 Little Bay shark fatality – the first on any Sydney beach in nearly 60 years – occurred at an un-netted site, underscoring the nets’ protective power.

The reality is that nets not only provide a barrier between swimmers and sharks; they also deter sharks from establishing territories.

The Department of Primary Industries notes they reduce the odds of a shark encounter, which is what any of us having a surf on the vintage Coolite or taking a swim in the Speedos surely want.

Technologies such as drones, SMART drumlines and listening stations are held up as a like-for-like replacement for the safety of shark nets.

Yes, they are valuable.

However, in 2025 they are still fallible, and are often absent when needed most.

South Maroubra Surf Club president Paul Fownes – a man who knows the beach – has voiced concerns that alternative shark-mitigation technologies, in comparison with nets, are not up to the task of protecting swimmers.

So why is the Labor government throwing in the bin a program that actually works before we have the technology available to genuinely provide swimmers with similar protection?

You do not need to be a cynic to know that the “trial” of one beach for each council this year will rapidly be extended to the entire NSW shoreline by a brazen Labor government that prioritises its electoral relationship with the extreme Greens over community safety.

We have already seen our protective nets hauled up a month early in 2025 as Labor crab-walks away from shark nets.

What’s the odds on a further reduction in 2026?

Shark nets are not perfect, but they are a proven shield, offering peace of mind to all of us.

This extends to business.

Tourism is a lifeline for many Sydney businesses, and they face peril from the fallout of a single attack.

To dismantle this protection for ideological purity is to court tragedy.

As I have argued more than once in parliament, until alternatives match the nets’ efficacy, their removal is irresponsible.

When we head to the beach with the banana lounge and the boogie board this summer, let’s continue with what has stood the test of time and put the safety of our citizens first.

Rachel Merton MLC is a Liberal member of NSW parliament