South-East Marine Rescue Facility

Mr FATCHEN (Mount Gambier) (15:27): I rise today to speak about an issue that has been raised in this place for well over a decade: the need for a dedicated marine rescue facility in the Lower South-East. Before I do, I want to acknowledge the recent tragedy at Port MacDonnell. My thoughts remain with the families, friends and community members affected by what occurred. I also want to sincerely thank our police, emergency services personnel, volunteers and everyone involved in the response and recovery efforts. The work undertaken in circumstances such as these is incredibly difficult, and our community is grateful for their professionalism and commitment.

I want to be very clear that I am not suggesting that having a dedicated marine rescue service at Port MacDonnell would have changed the circumstances or outcomes of this tragedy. However, what it has done again is highlight the reality that our region still does not have a dedicated marine rescue vessel. This is not a new issue.

In 2012, following a series of marine emergencies, the then District Council of Grant presented a submission to the state government seeking a marine rescue service at Port MacDonnell. Since then, governments of both persuasions have been told repeatedly about the gap in our emergency response capability. The closest dedicated marine rescue vessel is at Kingston, four to six hours away by boat. In the meantime, our community has relied heavily on professional and recreational fishers to respond when people are in trouble, and they have responded.

Over the years, local fishers have rescued people from capsized boats, assisted stranded vessels, searched for missing people and, in some instances, put their own lives, vessels and livelihoods at risk to help others. We owe them an enormous debt of gratitude. But goodwill is not an emergency service strategy. We cannot continue to expect commercial fishermen and recreational boat owners to provide a service that should be properly resourced, equipped and supported.

The need has been demonstrated time and time again. The incidents are well documented and, tragically, lives have been lost along this coastline. There is also broad support for action. The Southern Limestone Coast Council, formerly known as the District Council of Grant, supports the proposal and has identified land at Port MacDonnell for a facility. SAPOL, the South Eastern Professional Fishermen's Association, councils across the Limestone Coast and other elected representatives have all backed the establishment of a dedicated marine facility.

I recently wrote to the Minister for Emergency Services, advocating for this service. This week I received a response advising me that the matter had been referred to the State Emergency Service for further investigation. Respectfully, I struggle to understand what remains to be investigated. Looking back through the history of this issue, I came across a press release from 2021. The previous member had written to the then Liberal Minister for Emergency Services, seeking action on exactly the same issue. The response? The SES was looking into the viability of a marine rescue service in the South-East. That was five years ago.

I have to ask: did the current minister simply cut-and-paste the response from five years ago? Our community cannot keep receiving the same answer from successive governments while nothing changes. This should not be a Liberal issue or a Labor issue. Both sides had opportunities to fix it and neither has delivered. We have had more than a decade of investigations, meetings, submissions, correspondence and advocacy. How much more evidence is required?

Port MacDonnell is home to South Australia's largest rock lobster fleet and sits on a vast and challenging stretch of coastline, yet when an emergency occurs we continue to rely heavily on whoever happens to be around. Our professional fishers will always help—that is the kind of community we have—but they should not have to carry this responsibility alone. The state government needs to stop referring this issue back for future investigation and start making a decision: fund the facility, fund a purpose-built rescue vessel, train and support local volunteers, and give our emergency service the capability they need.

Our community has waited long enough. The research has been done, the need has been demonstrated, the support is there. What has been missing for more than a decade is a government prepared to take responsibility and actually deliver it. It is time to get this done.