Jetty money just a drop in the ocean

Patrick Goldsmith, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

The state government’s announcement of a $20 million funding allocation across four years for deteriorating jetties has been labelled as inadequate by Yorke Peninsula stakeholders.

Almost 40 jetties across the state, owned by the government but leased to councils on 50-year terms, must vie for the new funding announced in the state budget last Thursday, June 15.

Yorke Peninsula Council has control of 12 jetties for which repair costs are growing, with work at Edithburgh alone costing an estimated $16m.

“Any money is welcomed and we still need details of how the scheme is going to work; I’m assuming it’s going to be an application-based program, competing against the other 35 jet-ties,” YPC CEO Andrew Cameron said.

“Yorke Peninsula Council has, for the past decade, been trying to get government to come to the table to discuss jetties, aware of where the situation was heading.”

With the option to hand back the jetties to the state government after 25 years stipulated in the lease agreement, there’s a chance council would need to have difficult conversations soon, Mr Cameron said.

“It is refreshing finally there has been a state government which has listened and, whilst the amount of money is disappointing, it’s a good start,” Mr Cameron said.

Ardrossan jetty, regarded as the jetty in the worst condition in the council area, contains 325 piles, 200 of which have a remaining life expectancy of 25 per cent or less.

Member for Narungga Fraser Ellis said fixing the jetties properly just needed to be done.

“The fact Edithburgh jetty had been a part of a pilot program with a developed business case handed to the government and then as a result couldn’t get any specific funding, is immensely frustrating,” he said.

“It’s pretty easy for governments of all stripes to keep kicking that can down the road, but it’s going to be a hell of a lot more expensive to fix once they fall over rather than remediate them while they’re still standing.”

Treasurer Stephen Mullighan said he was surprised to see the reaction that the announcement had elicited from regional communities.

“I think we can all agree, particularly for smaller councils, it is just beyond their capacity to fund these sort of maintenance activities,” he said.

“Rather than do what we’ve done for the past 10 years and make a series of ad-hoc announcements (we have) a program of funding which will be available for councils to approach government and get some assistance.

“I did see some comments from one regional mayor saying this was nowhere near enough; what I can say… is it’s $20m more than what was on the table two days ago.”

Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Tom Koutsantonis admitted some jetties were nearing the end of their operational lives.

“The major challenge facing jetties is they are predominately timber structures, and many are more than 100 years old and in poor condition,” he said.

“The government understands how important the state’s jetties are to local communities and visitors to our regions, which is why we’re committed to working with local government to help keep these beloved assets open for many more years to come.”

YPC deputy mayor Richard Carruthers said jetties were the heartbeat of so many coastal towns.

“Take a town like Ardrossan for example, it’s just so integral to the community, and has been forever, if you took it away who knows what could happen to the community,” he said.

“I’m glad the government has come to the table with funding, albeit disappointing, it’s just a drop in the ocean.”

This article appeared in the Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 20 June 2023.

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