Pittwater Life May 2024 Issue

Mayor: ‘Bye, bye Beachwatch’
Northern Beaches Council has decided
to opt out of the NSW Beachwatch
water quality-monitoring program.
It follows the Minns State Government’s
decision to transfer some of the system’s
operating costs to participating Councils.
The Government informed Councils last
month that it would contribute $18.5 million
to Beachwatch and expected Councils
with beaches and estuaries within their
boundaries to help foot some of the bill.
For Northern Beaches Council, that cost
has been estimated at up to $150,000 annually
across 23 beaches from Palm Beach
to Manly.
The Government’s $18.5 million contribution
was a budget allocation by the
former NSW Liberal Government.
Until now, 14 Sydney Councils have been
included in Beachwatch without having to
pay for the service.
Regional Councils in NSW have always
paid for their testing.
Beachwatch has operated as a Government-funded
program since 1989. The
agency told Pittwater Life it collected water
samples weekly at Sydney’s ocean beaches
year-round. It also utilises water gauges at
key locations to monitor rainfall levels and
the potential for polluted water conditions.
Council says it is hopeful the Minns
POLLUTED: North Narrabeen on April 6.
Government will reverse its decision given
widespread backlash from Councils across
NSW.
However, Council sources admitted to
Pittwater Life it was unsure what it would
do if the Government’s position remained
firm.
Mayor Sue Heins told Pittwater Life the
Government’s new ‘user-pays’ proposal
was unfair.
“Beachwatch is a wonderful program
that provides valuable information to all
people across greater Sydney to make
informed decisions before they swim,” she
said.
“The decision to shift costs to coastal
Councils is unfair to our community.
PHOTO: Martin Kelly
“While the Government may justify this
as a ‘user-pays’ system, they are failing to
acknowledge that the people using this
service come from a wide range of Local
Government areas, not just from coastal
communities. It should remain statefunded.”
Council confirmed it would not be
participating in the new system, which
required notification to the Government by
April 30.
The new user-pays system comes into
effect on July 1.
Council added it was under no legal
obligation to provide the service –
especially as the costs involved may be
prohibitive if it were to deliver them standalone.
“There are several fixed costs for the operation
of such a program,” it noted. “The
(Department of Climate Change, Energy
and the Environment and Water) DCCEEW
is able to defray these costs over a number
of Council areas, lowering the cost that an
individual Council could not.”
Council maintained it was strongly supportive
of the NSW Beachwatch program,
ensuring the community has access to the
information on water quality. – Nigel Wall
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