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Melina Bath calls for urgent action on Silverleaves coastal erosion, criticising delayed government response and funding

Melina Bath (Eastern Victoria) introduced a petition with 4,441 signatures, urging urgent government action on Silverleaves' coastal erosion.

By news@gippsland - 7th April 2025 - Back to News

I move that the petition be taken into consideration. I thank the 4441 people who signed this petition, which should never have had to happen. As I start my contribution I would like to thank particularly:

• Natalie Gray and Mary Hughes
• Dr Stephen and Penny Lapin
• Ken Hailey and his wife
• Tristan White
• Louise Hill
• Eddie Lynch - and I thank Eddie for coming down today
• Silverleaves Conservation Association
• Bass Coast Shire Councillors, united by their concern on this, and particularly mayor Rochelle Halstead

And the 300 other people stood on 6 January in the pouring rain to show their concern for what is happening at Silverleaves with the coastal erosion issue. They stood beside banksias that had fallen over and they stood near waves, concerned that on those windy nights at those high-tide times that they would actually come crashing into their backyards and into their homes.

Melina Bath criticised the government's insufficient $10 million funding and called for collaboration between local, state, and federal stakeholders

Urgent action needed

This is the reality of Silverleaves, a most beautiful community that has been drawn together out of adversity, and they should never have had to be in this position that we are debating in this motion today. I just want to read the actual motion, because it is in two parts.

The petition says that we call on the Government to urgently fund and implement the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action's proposed geotextile revetment to protect homes, public infrastructure and public land in the short term.

And this is where it comes into effect - work collaboratively with the Silverleaves community to plan and fund long-term solutions to mitigate and manage coastal erosion. This government has known about this coastal erosion issue at Silverleaves since 2022.

Demands immediate action

The erosion has been accelerating since 2022, and certainly it has been heavily impacting; it has been at an alarming rate of 16 metres in the past two years. What that says is that the government must act, but it has actually had its head in the sand, and unfortunately now that sand has washed away due to erosion.

The government knew about it in 2023. It knew about it when the department triggered a process, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action's (DEECA) own study.

The Silverleaves Coastal Processes Study Summary was handed to the government in the middle of 2024. The member for Bass has known about this since that time. She has not been beating her chest; she has not been beating a path to the door of the Minister for Environment. It has taken this community activism for this to occur.

Urgent coastal intervention

In November last year I raised the issue. The government has had a DEECA plan for geotextile sandbag revetment, as it is called, for emergency works to sandbag that community while a long-term plan can be introduced and worked through with the community, but the government has ignored it.

The concern that is facing these wonderful people of Silverleaves is that it was meant to be implemented over summer, because now we have got Easter around the corner, and indeed with those Easter king tides and the weather - we have got winter coming on - these people really face the loss of their homes and infrastructure because of this.

This is too late, but thank goodness it is actually occurring today - and I know that many of them have been down on the beach today watching sand being moved. In fact it is going to cost the government more money for these short-term emergency works, because they are shifting sand today, and then later on, to be finished by August, they are going to have these sandbags completed for the short term. This is an action that should have been undertaken prior to this.

Urgent coastal action

I say to the community: thank you very much for working with me and others who were down there supporting you, and the council. You are activists - you should not have to be activists to save your own homes when the government has been clear in understanding the urgency of this.

The government came out on 7 March and they said, '$10 million - $10 million for Silverleaves, for Inverloch surf club and the Inverloch foreshore, for Loch Sport, for Tooradin, for Warrnambool and for Black Rock.' Not $10 million each, but $10 million between them - that is insufficient.

To come out on 7 March and say, 'Look, we're saving that,' is unfair and unkind to these very good people - and I will be speaking at the end of this. I thank people for listening and I thank people for contributing. We need action on this coastal erosion, and this is the dearest priority going round.

Coastal erosion solutions

This is time for a reset now. The government is aware of this. They have been aware of it, but the issue has been highlighted. The next stage is working collaboratively with the Silverleaves community to plan and fund long-term solutions and to mitigate and manage coastal erosion. It is a huge issue. Inundation is a massive issue. Erosion is an issue.

This government now has the opportunity to turn over a new leaf and work with the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, the local council and the federal government to plan what comes next, because people's homes are their castles, and if the government is just going to do this and then walk away, people need to know. They need to be aware of what is to befall them.

Coastal adaptation plans involve taking a holistic approach and creating a vision for the whole community so that people have certainty in what they are living in and how they can invest - or not - in their homes.

Addressing coastal erosion

At Silverleaves the state government has finally come to an understanding that this is a serious problem. The insurance companies know; their premiums are skyrocketing because of this coastal erosion.

Melbourne Water, Bass Coast and VCAT have also reinforced the seriousness of this problem. The planning scheme also needs to create a commitment to Silverleaves and those other areas like Silverleaves we have mentioned through state policy and strategic planning.

This community matters, as all communities should matter. We need to be able to feel confident that this government will sit down and listen to this community and plan for the long term, not take the lax piecemeal approach which has brought us to this point where community activism must force the hand of government. I ask the minister to work with the community for the best outcome for that community.

Pictures from Melina Bath MP Facebook page.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com