Stokes calls for federal aid to deal with coastal erosion

NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes has called for national funding to help beachfront homeowners deal with erosion.

Collaroy beachfront homes after last week’s storm.

NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes has called for national funding to help beachfront homeowners and councils deal with coastal erosion, as the fate of tens of millions of dollars of homes hangs in the balance following last week’s storm.

At the same time, Mr Stokes’s government faces calls from the opposition to help residents of a roofless block of flats in western Sydney’s Auburn after the same storm caused $1 million damage.

Last week’s storm washed away large sections of the beach at Collaroy on Sydney’s northern beaches, as well as in places such as Wamberal on the central coast.

Mr Stokes has put forward $83m for local councils as part of a new coastal management bill to help with coastal erosion and other protection issues, but has called for the federal government to be involved.

Northern Beaches Council, which has control of the Collaroy beachfront, is likely to be one of the first councils to access the money for a new sea wall in front of the affected properties, although it’s likely homeowners will have to stump up a major portion of the costs.

The government has not released a manual to guide councils on how they should split costs with beachfront owners, who stand to gain when public money helps protect their properties.

It is likely that where there is no public benefits, beachfront owners will be asked to pay the entire cost.

Government sources say public money will be used only where coastal protection measures benefit public assets, such as roads, schools and hospitals.

Mr Stokes’s coastal management bill has just been passed. In his speech to parliament, he urged a “national approach, nat­ional funding and national leadership on coastal management.”

A report by Deloitte Access Economics for the Australian Business Roundtable found an average of about $560m was spent on disaster relief by the Australian government compared with $50m on pre-disaster resilience. It said spending $250m a year on pre-disaster resilience had the potential to cut the costs of natural disasters in half, thereby saving the federal budget $9.8 billion, and state and local governments $2.4bn.

Yesterday, NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley called on Mr Baird to offer the residents of a unit block in Auburn, which had already lost its roof before the storm, ex-gratia payments, low-interest loans and other help after the repair bill hit $3.5m, or more than $100,000 a unit.

The apartments, developed by former Liberal candidate and mayor Ronney Oueik, lost its roof in a storm in January, ­leaving more than 200 people homeless.

The rain last weekend caused further damage that Mr Foley estimated at $1m.

Mr Foley has called for the inquiry into Auburn Council to exam how the apartment block was approved by council.

Premier Mike Baird said the families had received assistance from Department of Family and Community Services as well as Legal Aid.

The government had also ­ordered a public inquiry into ­Auburn Council.