In September 2022, the NSW Liberal Government’s Maritime Infrastructure Delivery Office (MIDO) advised Ms Catley MP – Member for Swansea that emergency dredging in Swansea Channel would be undertaken in February 2023. It is now March and emergency dredge works are yet to commence.

Swansea Channel is the opening to the largest saltwater lake in the Southern Hemisphere Lake Macquarie. Recurrent silting has made the Channel too shallow for boaties to safely navigate the lake. Despite this, the Government has not completed a dredging campaign in the Channel since 23 April 2021.  

Failing to complete emergency dredging is the latest in a string of broken promises from the NSW Liberal Government.

In July 2021, $6.2 million was allocated towards one of the Government’s biggest ever dredging programs. Swansea Channel was one of five NSW waterways set to benefit from this program, however, not a cent has been spent.

Furthermore, in May last year, MIDO advised that they would place sand on Blacksmiths Beach in line with the upcoming dredging program. In December the Government back flipped on this announcement, claiming that it had not committed or planned for this to occur.

Instead, sand will be stockpiled on sand islands in the Channel, inevitably trickling back into the Channel.

Ms Yasmin Catley MP – Member for Swansea said “It is disgraceful that the NSW Liberal Government has failed to keep its promise and complete emergency dredge works.”

“Since I was elected as the Member for Swansea in 2015, locals have consistently raised with me the issues caused by recurrent silting in the Channel. I have brought their concerns to the Government by advocating for a long-term dredging solution”.

“First they failed to undertake dredging as part of their $6.2 million program, then they back flipped on their commitment to renourish Blacksmiths Beach. This latest broken promise proves this Government cannot be trusted”.