What we are asking

Help us better manage our coastline, build resilience to climate change and ensure our community can continue to enjoy our beaches and piers:

  • $500,000 over three years to develop a Mornington Peninsula Coastal Strategy focussed on adaptation planning (to match Council funding of $175,000)
  • Annual funding of $100,000, for immediate damage control for risks such as landslips, erosion and infrastructure damage (to match Council funding of $100,000)
  • A Victorian Government planning scheme amendment, in response to DELWP’s Coastal Hazard Assessment (rather than individual council amendments)
  • A guarantee that local piers (especially Dromana and Flinders) will be adequately funded and maintained into the future.

What makes this unique

The Mornington Peninsula has 10% of Victoria’s coastline (192km). Council directly manages 64km of the coast.

High visitation and public use of our beaches puts pressure on our coasts and there is strong community expectation for continued safe access to our coastal assets.

We need to plan and be ready for expected sea level rises associated with climate change, as well as increased storm surges and more intense rainfall events.

As the impacts of climate change increase, there is a strong need to manage immediate risks and plan strategically for the future of our changing coasts.

The potential impact of events such as rising sea levels, storm surges and more intense rainfall is significant and requires a proactive response to limit damage to coastal assets and maintain community and tourism marine infrastructure and amenity.

A higher proportion of townships, community assets and public open spaces are coastal across the Mornington Peninsula, with greater relative pressure on our coastline over the summer tourism season.

The new Victorian Government Marine and Coastal Policy is shifting coastal adaptation costs and responsibilities to local councils – increasing pressure on us to act.

Our community is angry about the Victorian Government’s management of our much-loved piers and jetties.

Recent landslips in Mount Martha have significantly affected residents and caused road closures.

Smaller scale slips after heavy rain have caused cliff collapses and path closures in Mornington, Mount Eliza and Flinders.

Dromana pier is highly valued for the variety of recreational opportunities it provides to the local community and visitors. The pier is currently partially closed indefinitely and needs $10M investment from Park Victoria, to repair and maintain this asset.

A further commitment of $10M is also needed to adequately fund the restoration of the historic Flinders

Pier. Although the Shire welcomes the recent $1.5M state budget funding, it will not be enough to restore the timber pier.

The community has been vocal in its support for our piers and jetties.

The ‘Save Flinders Pier’ campaign and public petition gained more than 44,000 signatures, including support from Sir David Attenborough.

We provided Parks Victoria with evidence of clear community support for the upgrade of Dromana Pier in 2020, yet nothing has been done.

There is strong community support for Council’s advocacy from Flinders Community Association, our Coastal Advisory Groups and Dromana Association Building Community and Business – as well as boating, fishing, and diving communities and the Association of Bayside Municipalities.

Our advocacy aligns with priorities of the South East Councils Climate Change Alliance (SECCCA), which call for sufficient levels of financial support for councils and communities to adapt to climate impacts.

Theme 1: A healthy natural environment and well-planned townships

Piers and jetties provide a central role for our natural environment and coastal townships, as outlined above.