#makeitsafe
Click HERE to complete a Complaint Form
Click HERE to sign the Petition
The current shoaling in front of the river entrance is dangerous and is making access for vessels extremely treacherous.
While previously the use of the Port Frederick to dredge outside of the harbour entrance, supplementing the work of the smaller dredge, has been of help, this vessel or another large dredging vessel needs to be urgently engaged again.
I have again asked the Transport Minister to do this as a matter of priority.
In regard to a more permanent solution, I have been asking the Transport Minister to release their investigations to all the possible solutions, to engage publicly about these, and commit to a timeframe to move forward, while still undertaking the urgent dredging in the meantime.
What the best solution is for marine safety and ensuring the environment in this area is protected (particularly ensuring the continued nourishing of beaches to the north), has to be robustly considered and then a decision taken to move forward while also engaging with stakeholders and the public.
The report into the Harbour entrance and proposed solution was promised by the Minister last year but I only gained access to it after pursuing it again on the floor of Parliament this year after which it was released – but in part. It still does not answer all of the questions.
Last week I received the latest answer to a question I asked of the Transport Minister: https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tableoffice/questionsanswers/2022/249-2022.pdf
My colleague Jarrod Bleijie MP also received the following response to his question: https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tableoffice/questionsanswers/2022/353-2022.pdf
We have been requesting an urgent briefing from the department as to what action they are going to take and when they are going to engage with the public.
This deliberate obstruction is not helping public safety and we will continue to fight for them to fix it.
I will also be holding a community forum on this matter in the near future.
