news, local-news, stockton beach, erosion, jodi mckay, gladys berejiklian, stockton

Stockton has a sand problem, but the state's two main political parties were busy slinging mud in Parliament on Wednesday. NSW Opposition Leader Jodi McKay, who had made a flying visit to the beachside suburb that morning, and Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp challenged Premier Gladys Berejiklian about when she, too, would travel north to see Stockton's erosion crisis first-hand. Ms Berejiklian said the Minister for Local Government, Shelley Hancock, would be in Stockton "in the coming days". The Premier labelled Ms McKay's presence in Stockton a "stunt" and repeated the government's position that it was working with Newcastle City Council on the problem and had given it $1.2 million since 2011 to address issues along the Hunter coast. But there was precious little sign of state-council cooperation in the upper house, where Liberal MLC Taylor Martin, the government's de facto Hunter spokesman, launched into the City of Newcastle for building "vanity projects" while Stockton was going under. "The council actually has responsibility for protecting this particular piece of land," Mr Martin said in reference to Stockton's only childcare centre, which has closed due to creeping erosion. "What are they doing? They're building an $8 million solar farm. They're spending $7 million on moving their admin building. But they haven't even been bothered to apply for their share of funding from the state government ... We've had that money on offer for years now. Newcastle council have been too busy with their vanity projects to lodge a compliant application. "So now, literally as the state government's program is closing, with no compliant application from Newcastle council, the minister has agreed to hold applications open specifically for that council to put in an application to protect that dune." Ms McKay said during her visit to Stockton that she was "shocked" to see the state of the beach. More than 100 people turned out at Lexie's on the Beach to greet Ms McKay, who was the Member for Newcastle from 2007 to 2011. RELATED READING: She told the crowd she had been to Stockton beach many times and was saddened to see it in such a state of disrepair. "It is unrecognisable to how I remember Stockton," she said. "We are beyond grant funding. We need state government intervention on what is an unfolding crisis. "Unless we get it, we will see a number of buildings simply wash into the ocean." Labor is seeking a state recovery coordinator, the same as appointed to tackle Sydney's Collaroy erosion problem when homes were under threat, to take carriage of a whole-of-government crisis response. The Opposition has also called on the Berejiklian government to help the City of Newcastle fast-track a Coastal Management Program, not required to be completed until December 2021, to identify a long-term solution to the "unfolding catastrophe". Ms McKay said Stockton could not afford to wait more than two years for a solution and Labor would support "investigating" the option of offshore dredging for sand replenishment of the beach, which is the community's preferred long-term option to combat the crisis. If it required legislative change, because offshore sand extraction is not permitted in NSW, Labor would work with the government on the issue. "This is not just about your beach anymore. This is about Stockton," she said. "We need to save the beach, but we need to save Stockton." Ms McKay and Mr Crakanthorp left Parliament to visit the embattled suburb, with a population of about 4000, a day after tensions first flared in question time over the NSW government's response to the issue. Ms McKay said a state recovery coordinator would act as a vital link to help the council with repairs, stabilisation and beach replenishment that would allow the beach to reopen. While you're with us, did you know Newcastle Herald offers breaking news alerts, daily email newsletters and more? Keep up to date with all the local news - sign up here. IN NEWS TODAY:

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