Newcastle City Council refuses to talk about Surf Life Saving beach safety report | poll

This week the volunteer rescue organisation released the results of a four-year project mapping coastal risks across NSW.

Dubbed Project Blueprint, the state government-funded initiative was set up to prevent coastal drownings across the state.

Across Newcastle’s 17 beaches – from Stockton in the north, to Burwood in the south – the report identified a number of “consistent hazards due to the geography and high energy nature of the area”, and made a number of recommendations aimed at improving safety along the coastline. 

But it appears Newcastle City Council isn’t interested.

In the report Surf Life Saving said that it had made “numerous unsuccessful attempts” to contact the council, but had received “no feedback”.

It also said that requests for data from the council – including about paid lifeguard services – “were met with a lack of interest and no response has been received”.

The council won’t explain why it wouldn’t talk to volunteer life saver group. After first refusing to release the report, questions put to the council by the Newcastle Herald about why it did not respond to Surf Life Saving were ignored.

Newcastle MP and former councillor Tim Crakanthorp said the report showed a need for “improved liaison” between the council and Surf Life Saving.

He also said he backed a recommendation for an emergency response beacon to be installed at the Bogey Hole, managed by Crown Lands. 

“If the Baird Government cannot fix the Bogey Hole in a timely manner then it can at least decrease the risk to life, as people are jumping the fence and swimming at the Bogey Hole now,” he said.

“If this swimming hole were in Bondi or Tamarama, it would be fixed by now.”

According to the report there were 46 emergency call-outs at beaches in Newcastle between 2008 and June last year, five of which led to deaths.

There were two deaths at Nobbys Beach, and one each at Stockton Beach, Bar Beach and Newcastle Harbour.