Mr CHANDLER - 2010-10-28
Can you please advise whether your department is completing the minimum weekly monitoring of our beaches? Given the last two results for Nightcliff Beach reported on 19 and 22 October showed critical levels of enterococci, when can the community expect to be told what has caused beach closures over the first five months and what the current status of pollution is in the harbour? Although I appreciate beach warnings are in place due to the stinger season, why were no warnings given after the 19 and 22 October closing of Nightcliff Beach for swimming?
Mr Conlan interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I miss the member for Greatorex. He used to be very colourful when he was asking questions. He used to move his hands around like a Greek, like me.
I assure the member we continue to monitor the beaches. However, there is a little problem called stingers. Not many people dare, or should dare, to swim at this time of the year because we have a problem. We are more concerned about the effect a stinger would have if it stings you, rather than E. coli, irrespective of how high they are.
I assure you, yes, we do sampling, and the sampling results are available on the NRETAS website with links straight to the beach monitoring section of the environmental health website.
However, irrespective of the level of E. coli, I strongly recommend you not to swim this time of the year at the beaches in Darwin.
Mr Conlan interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I miss the member for Greatorex. He used to be very colourful when he was asking questions. He used to move his hands around like a Greek, like me.
I assure the member we continue to monitor the beaches. However, there is a little problem called stingers. Not many people dare, or should dare, to swim at this time of the year because we have a problem. We are more concerned about the effect a stinger would have if it stings you, rather than E. coli, irrespective of how high they are.
I assure you, yes, we do sampling, and the sampling results are available on the NRETAS website with links straight to the beach monitoring section of the environmental health website.
However, irrespective of the level of E. coli, I strongly recommend you not to swim this time of the year at the beaches in Darwin.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016