Erosion funding meaningless; says Minister

A LABOR Minister has criticised the Liberal Party’s recent announcement of $6m for erosion at Inverloch, which was branded as ‘meaningless’.

Minister for Environment and Climate Action Lily D'Ambrosio visited the shire this week, where she detailed the funding already allocated towards erosion through the Cape to Cape Resilience Project, as well as an additional $400k included in this year’s state budget for stage two of the project.

Earlier this month at the Inverloch Surf Life Saving Club, Leader of the Opposition, Matthew Guy, made the announcement that the party would commit $6m for erosion if elected. 

The funding will go towards addressing erosion at Inverloch Surf Beach, which has seen rapid erosion of the dunes and the coastline rising by almost 70 metres along Wreck Creek in recent years. 

“This is a serious issue right along the Bass Coast, and we must preserve our fragile coastlines so they can be enjoyed for generations to come,” Mr Guy said. 

“Instead of peddling the problem for another day, the Liberals and Nationals will make a start on this urgent project straight away.”

When questioned by the media on the Liberal Party’s funding, the minister said it was “meaningless”.

“There’s no plan or indication on how it would be spent, and what are the priorities and what it would achieve,” she said.

“What we’re doing is the work to bring it to a reality.

“We’ve already invested $1.5m for Inverloch coastal protection structures in prior budgets and established the Cape to Cape Resilience project.

“This budget is providing a further $400k for the next stage to finalise the plans.

“This will tell us what needs to be done and the investment required.”