Jetties Strategic Plan

Overview The Local Government Association of South Australia (LGA) is seeking to engage a consultant, through a Request for Quotation (RFQ), to provide consultancy services for the development of a Jetties Strategic Plan on the terms and conditions contained in the RFQ. About South Australian coastal councils are increasingly concerned about the significant costs of maintaining and upgrading jetties around the SA coast, which form part of the state's heritage and provide social and economic benefits to communities. The current funding model does not supply sufficient funding to satisfy community interest in using these landmark structures, and alternative and sustainable models need to be explored. Jetties in South Australia hold significant social, heritage, economic and tourism value. They are iconic community landmarks used for fishing, walking, diving, swimming and community events. Historically constructed to support the movement of grain, livestock and other produce to market, jetties now primarily serve social and recreational purposes rather than industrial ones. There are 36 state government-owned jetties currently leased to councils under long term arrangements, many of which have expired or are approaching expiry in coming years. These leases generally assign maintenance responsibility for the state-owned assets to councils. The construction and ongoing upkeep of jetties is highly specialised and costly, particularly due to the use of hardwood timber and the complexity of maintaining marine infrastructure. These costs can be prohibitive for councils, especially smaller regional councils, resulting in some jetties remaining damaged, inaccessible to the public or deteriorating in condition. At the LGA Ordinary General Meeting on 12 April 2019, member councils carried a motion requesting that LGA immediately begin negotiations with the State Government to draft a lease or other agreement with local government collectively to safeguard the future of jetties in SA without creating a financial burden on ratepayers, especially in rural and regional areas. In response, LGA established a Jetties Steering Group, which developed a set of Guiding Principles and undertook engagement with State Government, including multiple meetings with Ministers. The former Liberal State Government developed a Jetties Strategic Plan which has not been publicly released. The subsequent Labor Government established the Jetties Renewal Program, providing funding for state-owned jetties, including approximately $5M per annum for those under lease arrangements with councils that could be used for jetty maintenance and renewal, requiring a 50% council co-contribution. Given the scale of renewal costs, where major works can reach approximately $14M, many councils are unable to access the program. In practice, the co-contribution requirement places participation beyond the financial capacity of a number of councils, or is viewed as inequitable, as it requires local ratepayers to fund the renewal of state-owned assets. LGA's 2024 Value of Jetties Report demonstrated the broader economic significance of these assets, estimating that jetties contribute approximately $103M annually to SA's GDP and support around 800 full-time equivalent jobs through tourism, visitation and ongoing maintenance activity. The Report also generated strong public interest and formed one of LGA's most successful media campaigns. Building on this work, LGA hosted the Coastal Jetties Summit on 6 November 2025, which identified strong and consistent themes, including broad agreement that jetties are highly valued community and tourism assets that represent an unsustainable financial burden for councils under current arrangements, recognition that existing lease terms are often inequitable and increasingly complex to renegotiate, consensus that jetties should be treated as statewide assets supported by transparent long-term funding and renewal arrangements, and strong support for a statewide Jetties Strategy, a dedicated Jetties Working Group, a central technical knowledge hub within the Department of Infrastructure and Transport (DIT), and exploration of a coordinated funding model potentially administered through the LGA, similar to CWMS arrangements. Attendees also endorsed a set of priority next steps, including developing a collective and transparent approach to the management of jetties, establishing a joint State-Local Government long-term statewide Jetties Strategy, exploring the establishment of a central technical hub within DIT, forming a dedicated Jetties Working Group to progress implementation actions, and developing a coordinated advocacy campaign in the lead up to the 2025 State Election. At the LGA Annual General Meeting on 21 November 2025, member councils further reinforced this position, carrying a motion requesting LGA to advocate strongly for the State Government to adopt a pragmatic and equitable approach to funding regional jetty repairs and maintenance, recognising the unsustainable financial burden on regional councils; highlight that state-owned jetties remain the responsibility of the State, and that without ongoing financial assistance, regional communities will be forced to impose unrealistic rate increases to fund these assets; and call for fair and consistent funding by ensuring that regional jetties receive the same level of financial support as metropolitan jetties for repair and maintenance. In response, LGA has delivered the jetties advocacy campaign "Going Missing", which has received strong support from both councils and the broader community; established a Jetties Working Group comprising representatives from metropolitan and regional councils, meeting monthly to progress reform options; sought improved data from councils about their jetties; and secured funding for the development of this plan through the Local Government Research & Development Scheme on 14 May 2026. Purpose The aim of the Project is to develop a Jetties Strategic Plan to establish a sustainable funding model for SA jetties. The Project is consistent with LGA's Strategic Plan Pillar 1: Advocacy and Partnerships, and progresses the item of business carried at the LGA Annual General Meeting in 2025. Objectives The Jetties Strategic Plan will: Identify and assess the specific challenges associated with jetty assets, including lifecycle and renewal costs, depreciation rates and impacts, the impact of climate change and sea level rise, technical and engineering constraints, heritage considerations, historical significance, public safety obligations and procurement complexities Review and document the current legal and governance arrangements applying to jetties, including lease agreements, legislative responsibilities and the roles of State and local government Undertake a comparison with other relevant state/local government shared assets and State and local government agreements, and identify learnings and opportunities that may be applicable to jetties Examine existing funding models and governance frameworks used across comparable asset classes to identify approaches that could support more sustainable and equitable investment in jetty infrastructure Investigate current council procurement approaches for jetty repair and maintenance activities and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce costs and strengthen capability through coordinated support mechanisms Consider opportunities for Federal Government involvement and funding support, and recommend an advocacy and implementation approach to progress this work Detail the recommended key components of a new state/local agreement that would deliver a long term, strategic and funded approach to jetty assets Identify and develop other outputs that support improved outcomes for councils, including practical tools, project scoping templates, technical guidance and mechanisms for accessing specialist expertise Be practical, accessible and user-friendly in design and presentation Comply with the LGA Writing Style Guide Deliver clear recommendations and implementation actions that can be progressed directly by LGA and its member councils without requiring further consultant engagement Focus on producing actionable outcomes that support immediate decision-making while establishing the foundations for long-term reform Scope The scope includes: Provision of consultancy services to develop the Jetties Strategic Plan on behalf of the LGA Enquiries Contact: Katherine Russell Email: katherine.russell@lga.sa.gov.au