SA councils and local groups band together to keep pontoons afloat, in time for summer

Pontoons are about to make waves this summer, as councils and local interest groups band together to defy insurance hikes and keep up with surging operation costs.

Visitors enjoy the Robe swimming pontoon, which is back in the water.

SA councils and local groups are fighting to keep pontoons in the waters amid skyrocketing insurance premiums and rising management costs.

The insurance requirements under the liability scheme, which include daily drone flights, weekly inspections and a twice-year removal for maintenance, are proving difficult for the local councils and groups to shoulder under their budget.

Yorke Peninsula Council Mayor Darren Braund said pontoons had “become a significant challenge for coastal councils across South Australia this summer”.

“The Local Government Association Mutual Liability Scheme has confirmed it will provide cover for pontoons, but only if councils meet a range of specific requirements,” Mr Braund said.

Nine out of twelve pontoons in the Yorke Peninsula are staying afloat this summer, the Advertiser has confirmed so far.

One of the Yorke Peninsula interest groups, the Port Vincent Progress Association, successfully secured a public liability insurance on Thursday to reinstate their 60-year-old pontoon.

Robe council chief executive Nat Traeger in front of the town's swimming pontoon, which has returned to Front Beach. Picture: Supplied

The president of the association, Pam Hickman, said interim coverage was provided by VACSWIM for community swimming lessons while the team worked to secure longer-term insurance.

“Our treasurer Sue Hall worked tirelessly contacting insurance companies to see if we could get cover for the rest of the year and she managed to get a (Victorian company) to cover it,” Ms Hickman said.

This insurance information was passed to other progress associations, such as Stansbury and Wool Bay Progress Associations, who have both managed to insure all three of their pontoons.

“This is a great outcome as the pontoons are very important to both our local community, and the large number of visitors to our region over the summer months,” said the chairperson of Stansbury Progress Association, Andrew Pisani.

Port Julia Progress Association is also exploring the insurance options, following the lead of Port Vincent and Stansbury.

Similarly, Kingston Council CEO Ian Hart has also considered inheriting a pontoon owned by the local Lions club, who were unable to insure it any longer.

“The council needs to know if it does have the appetite, what kind of risks we’re inheriting and what costs we have to consider,” said Mr Hart.

A report is in progress and will be presented to the council by the next meeting at the end of January.

However, according to Mr Hart, it is unlikely to return to the Kingston Beach for the summer.

Down south, the Robe pontoon recently returned to the Guichen Bay after extensive repairs, a concession from the council’s insurer and a newly-acquired seabed licence.

The pontoon has been a feature of Robe summers for 52 years, but a statewide insurance crackdown had threatened its future as operational costs were pushed to unsustainable levels. However, their insurer relented to weekly inspections, which Robe Surf Lifesaving Club agreed to.

The council has confirmed that the Robe pontoon has been anchored back to the water by local fisherman, just in time for the summer.

Port Elliot also saw the return of their pontoon to the Horseshoe Bay waters three weeks ago after a battle with rising management costs.

Thanks to public donations, the pontoon has been reinstalled with no cost to the Alexandrina Council.

Originally published as SA councils and local groups band together to keep pontoons afloat, in time for summer