Little debate on Peninsula inundation

A recent report by the State Government appears to have aroused little interest or public debate, despite its message that the Peninsula is likely to be inundated by seawater within 50 to 100 years.

The report is titled High Resolution Terrain Mapping of the NSW Central and Hunter Coasts for Assessment of Potential Climate Change Impacts.

In a joint press release by the NSW Planning Department and the Department of Environment and Climate Change, Planning Minister Frank Sartor said: "This is about getting the long-term planning right to ensure communities are not adversely affected by the impacts of climate change."

I am interested to see how long-term planning will ensure that being inundated by seawater will not adversely affect the Peninsula community, eg land values.

In the media release, Mr Sartor also says: "NSW Government would work with councils and the Commonwealth to develop joint guidelines for existing coastal development potentially vulnerable to sea-level rise, along with future development or rezoning proposals."

I am also interested in the implications of this report for other government plans and approved developments. These include the government plan to locate thousands of people on the Peninsula, as well as council-approved developments such as high-rises on the waterfront at Ettalong.

For instance, what is the status of council-approved buildings that have not yet been built? Given that these buildings are likely to be washed away or inundated within 50-100 years, it makes no sense to allow them to proceed.

And if they are allowed to be built and sold to unsuspecting buyers, eg retirement village units, what are the implications?

One of the strategies adopted overseas to address rising sea levels is called "managed retreat", whereby people permanently leave the affected areas before these areas become inundated. This has already happened in some coastal communities in England.

Some islands such as Tuvalu in the Pacific are already experiencing what is likely to happen here.

Like the Peninsula, these islands are often only a few metres above sea level. These island nations are facing limited choices for their survival, and many of the people are already environmental refugees, seeking new homes in countries like Australia.

Previous estimates of the impacts of climate change have been shown to be too conservative, eg the Arctic ice is melting far more rapidly than was predicted.

Further, here on the Peninsula the impacts of sea level rise will be experienced well before inundation.

Because it's a sandplain, water moves easily through the Peninsula soil. This means dykes are not an option, and also that our new $9.5 million groundwater extraction drinking water system could be made inoperable by salinity well before seawater inundation occurs.

Sea level rise also means that drainage is much harder. This also will become obvious well before seawater inundation occurs. In combination with more frequent intense storms, this can be expected to lead to greater storm-related flooding.

This topic is of great significance and I look forward to robust community discussions in consultation with local and state government bodies.

Shirley Hotchkiss Umina