Tesch calls for dredging action

Member for Gosford, Ms Liesl Tesch, has called for immediate action from the NSW Government to fix the Ettalong Channel.

The Ettalong Channel had been unsafe for use by ferries for more than four days in the past three weeks, she said.

Ms Tesch said Brisbane Water was "the lifeblood of our community, vital for tourism, commuters and recreation, as well as the environmental health of the water"

"It's time the State Government came to the table to provide a real solution to the dredging problem at Ettalong," she said.

Ms Tesch said the NSW Government needed to "act now to solve this important issue before more commuters and day trippers get stranded at Patonga or at Palm Beach, and before serious damage is done to the ferry fleet."

The NSW Government's dredging program did not include Brisbane Water as the waterway did not contain maritime infrastructure, she said.

The State Government had argued the maintenance of the channel was a local government responsibility.

SOURCE:

Media release, 17 Aug 2017

Richard Mehrtens, Office of Liesl Tesch MP