Ms BADGER – Thank you for that update, minister.
My second question. In December 2023, you wrote to the people of Lewisham stating some works were going to be undertaken on the foreshore. I appreciate this has been a long‑standing issue; there was previously an EPBC act assessment for aspects of that. In the letter you stated you’re walking back from it. Parts of this community communication that you had were then reneged one Sunday afternoon quite suddenly. Did you endorse that decision or what went past your desk, minister, for those plans to so suddenly change without the community being communicated with, anything post your letter that you had previously sent in December 2023?
Mr DUIGAN – The Director of National Parks and Wildlife has been managing remediation works at Okines Beach, Lewisham. Following numerous reports, continued consultation with the community, residents and the Lewisham Foreshore Management Association over many years, as you referred to, the director formed the view that the most appropriate management approach for coastal erosion at the site was to undertake targeted remediation works. In advance of any works, the director inspected the site on 11 August 2024 and made a decision that the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service would remove illegal structures that pose a risk to public safety. Remediation works commenced on 19 August 2024. In terms of consultation with the community about the works being proposed and carried out, I believe there was engagement from Parks, letter drops and public consultation, so I would ask the Secretary to speak to that.
Mr JACOBI – I might call on Sophie Muller in a minute to talk to this. There’s a lot of different opinions amongst the residents along Lewisham foreshore about what should stay and what should go. Some people want the structures to remain; some people want the structures to go. In the interests of making it not unlike what I did for the divo, I went down on Sunday afternoon, Sophie joined me and we walked up and down that foreshore and we looked closely at each of the structures. There are obvious structures that pose an immediate workplace health and safety risk. They are dilapidated, in very poor condition and unsafe. The determination was made right there and then because works were about to start; we confirmed that those structures had to go. We also had a conversation around some of the walls. In my view, some of the walls looked, on face value, to be structurally sound enough that they were not posing any harm, they were not posing a threat to public safety or posing an immediate threat to erosion of the bank.
The decision was made at that time to keep those structures, or to keep parts of them. When the contractors started to undertake the works, the works revealed things behind the wall and also revealed the structural integrity of the wall. That led to subsequent decisions that the wall wasn’t as sound as originally thought and that it had to be removed. Conversations were held with the property owners immediately behind and adjacent to those structures about their desire to either keep the wall or have the wall removed. In most cases, the people were quite happy to have the wall removed, so the works were undertaken.
I personally inspected the works at the Lewisham foreshore the weekend before last. I did a walk along the new track, and I’ve got to say that the work is incredibly well done and sensitive. There is still some more work to be done, but in terms of realigning the existing track away from the foredune, which is the intent to prevent people falling off the dune and to remove the risk of further erosion. Pushing the track back, realigning it and doing it the way it has been done has been very successful. It’s quite a sensitive, gentle walk along the foreshore and the team’s done a good job. Over the coming weeks they’ll replace the existing staircases. I might call Sophie, if she has any information.
Ms BADGER – Before we do, I have two questions that arose from that. What date was the letterbox drop that you mentioned as part of consultation done? How was the communication captured when you were doorknocking to ask if people were happy to maintain the wall or not?
Mr JACOBI – I didn’t do any doorknocking. My team has been responsible for communication.
Ms BADGER – Your department, not you personally.
Mr JACOBI – I’ll call on Sophie for some details.
Ms MULLER – I don’t have the specific date of that letterbox drop, but it was shortly before the works commenced. Over the years there has been extensive community engagement that Parks staff have undertaken and that engagement has helped to inform the final decisions that were made right up to and during the works being undertaken. Certainly, as contractors were there doing the works, community members were engaging with Parks staff on the scope of the work that was occurring and providing input and information into that. Given the extent of community feeling associated with that site, some of those views were taken into account where we could accommodate them and adjust the scope of work in response to the community interest.
Ms BADGER – Is it normal for Parks just to rock up on a Sunday afternoon and make decisions about projects? There seems to be a pattern happening here.
Mr JACOBI – I’ve been involved in Lewisham now for seven years, so this has been a longstanding issue. The whole coastal erosion and the impacts of coastal erosion on those properties has been a significant concern for that community.
Sophie and the team are relatively new to the Lewisham experience. I regularly enjoy going out in the bush and spending time in nature. If I get an opportunity to go and spend a little bit of time down at the beach or in the bush, I’ll do that. There was an opportunity to go down and have a look at it with Sophie, look at the works that were proposed to understand the extent of the workplace health and safety risks and to make a determination because, ultimately, as the PCBU of the department, I held responsibility. If somebody injures themselves, I carry that responsibility. Particularly in a case where there are extensive structures that are in deteriorated condition in a public space, I have to take an interest. I don’t hold back at all from taking the opportunity to go down there and walk that with Sophie and make a decision.
As Sophie mentioned, residents were coming out and talking with our staff during the construction works. Some of them lobbied to have the wall in front of them removed. I considered each and every case with the PWS team on merit. Our team member was on site every day to take questions from the community.
Ms BADGER – Extraordinary: seven years and we can still change it on a Sunday afternoon.
