Sydney coastal councils reject NSW Government’s attempts to shift costs for NSW Beachwatch to local government

The NSW Government is attempting to shift the costs of its successful and long-running NSW Beachwatch program to coastal councils in Sydney.  The NSW Beachwatch program helps people make informed decisions about when and where to swim.

Sydney Coastal Councils Group (SCCG), representing nine coastal and estuarine councils in Sydney, supports the program’s value to not only local residents but to the broader NSW community and international tourists that visit our world-renowned beaches.  However, it rejects the NSW Government’s attempts to shift the cost of the program to local councils for what is a state government responsibility.

Generally, Councils have no control over the land or waterways below mean high water where Beachwatch monitoring is conducted.  Councils also have no control over sewers which is the primary source of bacteriological contamination of waterways that impact on swimming.

Costs for the service provided by the NSW Government to coastal councils represent a significant financial impost on councils that are already grappling with increasing community expectations, constrained budgets and other forms of state government cost-shifting.

In light of this, the SCCG calls on the NSW Government to maintain the NSW Beachwatch program as a fully-funded state program without shifting costs to Sydney coastal councils.

SCCG also calls on the Minister for the Environment, in consultation with the Minister for Water, to request Sydney Water, as the provider of sewerage services in Sydney, to take a role in water quality monitoring at Beachwatch sites.

Smarter Cleaner Sydney Harbour Project was present at Sydney Water Tech showcase

Before Christmas, Sydney Coastal Councils Group and Parramatta River Catchment Group presented The Smarter Cleaner Sydney Harbour project at the Sydney Water’s Urban Plunge  Tech Showcase 2023.

 

It was a fantastic turnout, over 100 people coming through the exhibition and many valuable conversations and connections were made. CSIRO sensors and AI was showcased along with 8 other waterway technology providers with the latest ideas and advancements around improving waterway health, with pioneering companies showcasing cutting edge technologies, on the land and in the water.

 

For more information about all technology showcased check out the list  of exhibitors here.

Channel 7 recently featured the Smarter Cleaner Sydney Harbour

With technology provided through Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO. This project will improve monitoring of litter in our waterways. It will combine data from cameras on drains and waterways plus sensors on stormwater assets, together with advanced data analytics.
Cameras had been installed on bridges over important drains and waterways. This will allow us to use smart analysis and artificial intelligence to spot litter in the water. The video software can tell the difference between a chip packet and a soda bottle. This is useful information for the Councils and groups that take care of our waterways.
Sensors will be installed on gross pollutant traps as part of the project. These sensors will tell local councils and government groups when the traps are full and need to be emptied. The sensor alerts will make sure we can clean these traps quickly, so they don’t overflow.

SCCG is using artificial intelligence to tackle rubbish in local waterways and improve the health of our waterways, for everyone to enjoy.

Channel 7 recently featured the Smarter Cleaner Sydney Harbour. Watch it here!

Compliant building sites good news for NSW waterways

NSW builders are ‘getting the site right’ with more than half successfully implementing erosion and sediment controls to protect local environments, but councils and regulators still had to hand out $376,789 in fines in May.

Twenty-two councils across Greater Sydney and regional NSW joined forces for the latest campaign with support from NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and Department of Planning and Environment (DPE).

NSW EPA A/Executive Director, Operations Steve Orr said this year’s campaign aimed to encourage builders to manage their litter and waste as well as maintaining proper sediment and erosion controls.

“We’ve seen some great improvements this year, but we know builders and site managers can still do better,” Mr Orr said.

“Our officers observed poorly maintained stockpiles, trip hazards on footpaths and concrete slurry runoff at some sites, which poses a threat to workers and the environment.

“We’re also looking at whether construction sites are correctly containing loose litter and other waste which could blow or wash off site, impacting local waterways.

“NSW has a lot of construction projects in the pipeline, so we don’t want to see overflowing bins, poorly contained waste or sediment run-off as we build.”

Regulatory staff conducted 1,177 inspections of 825 building and construction sites, with around 30 per cent of inspections conducted on 18 May ‘blitz day’.

Of all the sites inspected, 61 per cent were found to be compliant, up six per cent from inspections in October 2022. For sites inspected more than once, 75 per cent were found to be compliant on the second visit, highlighting the importance of repeat inspections and ongoing education.

EPA officers attended 168 site inspections, supporting council staff to ensure builders had appropriate erosion and sediment controls and litter prevention strategies in place.
EPA and DPE officers also jointly inspected several large infrastructure projects, including six schools and one hospital under construction.

Parramatta River Catchment Group (PRCG) Chair, Councilor Mark Drury, said the improvement in compliance rate was encouraging as we look to expand our efforts to minimise the effects of stormwater runoff on local water quality over the next few years.

“The recent funding provided by the NSW Government for the Parramatta River Masterplan projects will build on the considerable work achieved to date around improving stormwater compliance and education,” Cr Drury said.

Get the Site Right is a joint taskforce between the Cooks River Alliance, Georges Riverkeeper, DPE, EPA, Parramatta River Catchment Group, Sydney Coastal Councils Group, WaterNSW, and local councils.

Members of the public are encouraged to report pollution incidents, including poor sediment control, to their local council or via the NSW EPA’s 24-hour Environment Line on 131 555. A follow-up inspection blitz week will be held in October.

Lights, camera, action!

Do the right thing by putting your rubbish in the bin to Keep Sydney Waterways Beautiful.

Key waterways surrounding Sydney Harbour had been equipped with innovative technologies to help reduce the amount of rubbish polluting the Harbour, thanks to the new Smarter Cleaner Sydney Harbour pilot.

This project is using cameras to detect rubbish polluting the Harbour. Do the right thing otherwise your rubbish may get caught in our cameras.

The initiative is a collaboration between Sydney Coastal Council Group Inc, Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Australia’s national science agency CSIROParramatta River Catchment Group, and six councils. The pilot is co-funded by the  NSW Smart Places Acceleration Program with a grant provided by the  NSW Digital Restart Fund.

To find out more about the project visit the link here.

It’s plastic free July and we are on a mission!

It’s plastic free July and we are on a mission!

Key waterways in Sydney Harbour will be equipped with innovative technologies to help reduce the amount of rubbish polluting the Harbour, thanks to the new Smarter Cleaner Sydney Harbour pilot.

This project is using innovative technologies to help reduce the amount of rubbish polluting the Harbour.

The initiative is a collaboration between Sydney Coastal Council Group Inc, Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, Parramatta River Catchment Group, and six councils. The pilot is co-funded by the  NSW Smart Places Acceleration Program with a grant provided by the  NSW Digital Restart Fund.

To find out more about the project visit the link here.

5-year Statutory Review on the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016

The purpose of the review is to determine whether the policy objectives of the Act remain valid and whether the terms remain appropriate for securing those objectives.

The SCCG reviewed the Consultation Paper and participated in feedback sessions hosted by LGNSW. The SCCG strongly supported the submission made by LGNSW which represents the views of Councils across NSW.

Generally, the SCCG considers that the BC Act is not achieving its objectives of no net loss of biodiversity, particularly in coastal and urban areas.

To read the full SCCG Submission see here.

New Minns Labor Government

The NSW State Elections on the 25 March 2023 resulted in a win for the Australian Labor Party. The Premier, Chris Minns, announced his government’s full Ministry which in a first for NSW comprised a frontbench of 50% women.

Key Ministers relevant to the work of the SCCG include:

  • Minister for Energy, Climate Change, Environment and Heritage – The Hon. Penny Sharpe, MLC
  • Minister for Local Government – The Hon. Ron Hoenig, MP
  • Minister for Natural Resources – The Hon. Courtney Houssos, MLC
  • Minister for Agriculture (includes Fisheries) – The Hon. Tara Moriarty, MLC
  • Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology – The Hon. Anoulack Chanthivong, MP

For the full cabinet list of Ministers see here.

SCCG Position Statement for the 2023 State Election

The upcoming State Election presents an opportune time for political parties to review and reaffirm their commitment to sustainably manage our coast. As such, we have formulated key policy positions and associated recommendations that we believe are critical to ensure the SCCG and its member Councils can continue their important role in the management of beloved coastal and estuarine environments. These key coastal management issues are:

  1. Establish a whole of government approach to climate change impacts, including coastal erosion, recession and sea level rise.
  2. Provide greater support to the delivery of Coastal Management Programs which are critical to the ensure the long-term sustainability of our coasts and estuaries.
  3. Formalise a catchment approach for our estuaries to ensure the threats to these highly valued areas are more effectively and efficiently managed now and into the future.
  4. Breakdown barriers to sand nourishment by addressing the significant impediments to Councils who are responsible for our beloved beaches.
  5. Establish a marine park for Sydney to improve the protection for marine biodiversity, ensure resilience in a changing climate, and better realise the tourism potential of marine sanctuaries.

To read our full position statement click here.

DPI Survey on Shark Mitigation at Ocean Beaches

 

Have your say about shark mitigation in your region!

The NSW Government has invested over $85 million until 2026 to continue rolling out successfully trialled shark mitigation technologies along the NSW coastline.

Each year, the NSW Government checks in with beach users, coastal councils and other key stakeholders to understand community sentiment and confidence in the NSW Shark Management Program.

This annual survey seeks to measure sentiments about shark mitigation approaches currently used in NSW (see current program here) and confidence in the Program which aims to reduce the risk of human-shark interactions at ocean beaches while minimising harm to sharks and other marine life.

The current Program includes:

  • SMART (Shark-Management-Alert-in-Real-Time) drumlines
  • Tagged shark listening stations
  • Drone surveillance
  • Shark meshing
  • Community education and engagement programs
  • Research
  • Partnerships with Surfing NSW and Surf Life Saving NSW

Please take 10 minutes to share your views to contribute to future decision making about shark mitigation in your region.

The survey can be found here and is open until Sunday, 19 February 2023.

Please pass this survey on to other beachgoers!

For more information visit www.sharksmart.nsw.gov.au.