The Greens have included $21.2 million to replace sand on Stockton beach on their federal election platform.
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Newcastle candidate John Mackenzie announced on Friday that the party's Coastal Protection Platform would include a ban on seismic testing and oil and gas exploration off the Hunter coast.
The $21.2 million would be used to pay for ongoing sand replenishment at Stockton to address the suburb's long-running erosion problems and investigate building an artificial headland.
"The Stockton community are rightfully angry about how long this has taken," Dr Mackenzie said.
"We don't need more studies. We had the Newcastle Coastal Zone Hazards Study by BMT WBM in 2014, which was updated just last year in the council's coastal management plan.
"But before this we had the Stockton Beach Coastline Hazard Study from the Department of Land and Water Conservation in 1995, Newcastle Coastline Hazard Definition Study in 1998, the Shifting Sands at Stockton Beach report by Umwelt and SMEC Pty in 2002, and DHI Stockton Coastline Management Studies in 2006, 2009 and 2011."
Dr Mackenzie, a Newcastle councillor, called on both major parties to match the Greens commitments, which include ongoing funding for Stockton Community Liaison Group.
"No one in Newcastle wants to see our pristine coastline turned into a gas field or our beaches eroded away through neglect," he said. "We need local representatives that understand this about our city and are prepared to be proactive.
"Right now, the issue of coastal erosion in Stockton is severe and urgent. While the breakwaters are essential for a viable Newcastle port, they prevent the natural flow of sand along the coast, trapping it on the Nobbys side of the breakwater.
"This results in a failure to replenish the sand on Stockton, and the beach has been eroding several metres a year, and after years of inaction and delay, the situation is now at a critical point."
The Greens have no hope of forming government, but they are keen to place issues they see as important on the election agenda in Newcastle, a safe Labor seat.
The party's preferred option for Stockton is to build an artificial headland or groyne to protect the sand nourishment program.
"This has the benefit of stopping the northerly drift of sand," Dr Mackenzie said.
He said the council and liaison group were still working on solutions to include in a coastal management plan.
"Rather than propose the headland construction prior to their final assessment, we are committing to funding that will expedite the completion of that program under the NSW Coastal Management Act 2016."
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