Turner Street Jetty - FAQ

Turner Street Jetty - FAQ 

On Wednesday 19 March 2025, the Turner St Jetty was closed off to members of the public based on expert engineering advice to ensure public safety. The Augusta community and visitors alike are understandably frustrated, surprised and saddened by the closure of this important and much-loved community asset. 

We know there are a lot of unanswered questions, many of which we will only be able to answer in the fullness of time (e.g. when will the jetty be reopened, what would this look like) and we are committed to keeping the community updated along the way. 

To resolve the closure as soon as possible, the Shire intends to deal with the matter as urgent business at tonight’s Council meeting in Augusta. A copy of the urgent business report can be found here. 

The Ordinary Council Meeting will be held in Council Chambers, 66 Allnut Tce, Augusta at 5:30pm on Wednesday 26 March 2025.

In the meantime, below is a list of questions we’ve been asked that may help explain how we got to this point, and what you can expect next.

Why has the jetty been closed?

The jetty has been deemed by an independent, specialist-qualified marine engineer to be unsafe for use in its current condition. 

Safety is our top priority and given this independent advice, the Shire Administration acted promptly to close the jetty until it can be made safe.
 

Why wasn’t the jetty inspected sooner?

The Shire maintains a number of marine structures, many of which are in Augusta. Regular assessment is undertaken of higher risk assets such as jetties. These are inspected annually by Shire staff and every two years by a specialist-qualified marine engineer. The last structural engineering report for the Turner St Jetty was dated July 2023, with the next report due in July 2025.
 

What did the July 2023 structural engineering report find?

In July 2023 it was found that extensive works would be required to extend the jetty life beyond two years, and that these remediation works – estimated to cost approximately $120,000 – would extend the life of the jetty by between two and five years.

On this basis, it was anticipated that remediation or renewal of the Turner St Jetty would need to be considered in the capital works schedule as part of the 2025-26 annual budget.
 

If the next engineering report isn’t due until July 2025, why has the jetty been closed now?

It was evident that the jetty was deteriorating faster than anticipated. On this basis, the Shire engaged an engineer to undertake the assessment ahead of schedule.
 

What did the March 2025 structural engineering report find?

In March 2025 it was found that further degradation to the jetty had occurred, with the engineer concluding that “Further chronic and severe degradation has now reached the level where there is no longer confidence in the continued structural integrity of the jetty. In conclusion, the jetty has reached the end of its service design life”.

Why was the jetty allowed to deteriorate to such an extent?

The Shire regularly maintains its various marine structures including the Turner St Jetty. The type of routine maintenance that the Shire takes would not be sufficient to significantly extend the life of marine structure such as a jetty. The kind of maintenance required would include replacement of some of the degraded components, which would come at significant cost and provide limited impact in extending the life of the asset given the overall age and condition.  

The renewal of significant components of the jetty cannot be resolved by maintenance but reflect the deterioration of the asset based on age.
 

Why was so little notice given to the community that the jetty would be closed?

An independent structural engineering report was received on Wednesday 19 March 2025 which states that the jetty is “…in its current condition unsafe for continued use. It is recommended that the Jetty is immediately closed off for public use and demolished”. Given the gravity of this advice, the Shire Administration decided to close the jetty that same day.

When did Councillors know that the jetty would be closed?

Elected members were advised of the jetty closure on Wednesday 19 March 2025, being the same day that the structural engineering report was received and the jetty closed off.

What are the options available to move forward?

The independent structural engineering report received in March 2025 recommended demolition of the Turner St jetty. However, a number of options are available and two of these options will be presented to Council on Wednesday 26 March 2025, being:

• Remediation of the deteriorated parts of the jetty, including piles, stringers, steel fixing, concrete, bearers, headstocks and decking.
• It is likely these works will cost in excess of $200,000.
• This work is expected to extend the life of the jetty by two to five years.
• Renewal of the jetty, involving complete replacement of the structure.
• It is likely these works will cost approximately $350,000.
• This work is expected to extend the life of the jetty by approximately 25 years.

Why does this need to go to Council, can’t the Shire just go ahead and fix the problem?

The Shire’s annual budget is set by Council. Works to remediate or renew the Turner St Jetty were not factored into the 2024-25 budget, since it wasn’t anticipated that these works would be required until 2025-26. The Shire require Council to approve an amendment to the 2024-25 budget to be able to proceed.

The Shire is also asking Council to consider delegating authority to the Shire CEO to engage a contractor to undertake remediation/renewal works to the jetty. Without this delegation, the Shire CEO can only approve works up to a total value of $250,000.

Where will the money come from?

The Shire maintains a monetary reserve called the ‘Asset Renewal Reserve’, which is used to enable the Shire to deal with peaks and troughs in annual asset renewal expenditure, and to cover emergency asset renewal requirements such as this. Council will be asked to consider making a budget allocation available from this reserve for the works.
 

Can’t grant funding be obtained to do the work?

There are limited sources of grant funding available for works such as this. To identify, apply for and wait for an outcome on any potential grant streams the Shire could look to tap into, e.g. LotteryWest funding, would mean significant delays to plans to remediate or renew the jetty.
 

If the jetty is renewed, will it look the same as the current jetty?

We understand how much this jetty means to the local community and to visitors. Should Council give us the direction to go ahead with remediation and/or renewal, the Shire intend to form a reference group of interested Augusta residents to consult on the design.

How long will it take until the jetty is reopened?

A firm timeframe cannot be given at this stage. The first step in the process is Council making a budget allocation for us to proceed. This request is being presented as ‘urgent business’ at the Ordinary Council Meeting on Wednesday 26 March 2025, to be held in Augusta Council Chambers. 

Concurrent, the Shire have commenced the process of seeking Aboriginal heritage approval for any potential works. 

We are committed to expediating the process of bringing this much-loved asset back to the community as soon as possible.

Easter is coming and will be busy with tourists – can the jetty be temporarily reopened?

Unfortunately, the advice we’ve been given is that the jetty is unsafe for use. Not only would there be liability on the Shire if we allowed people to use the jetty knowing that it was unsafe, we would also feel terrible if someone did get injured. We are looking at options to make the fencing a little less ugly, but unfortunately there is no temporary fix that could see us open the jetty in time for Easter.

How will the Shire make sure the community is kept informed on progress?

We recognise a need for improved communication, both in relation to the Turner St Jetty and more widely in relation to other projects and programs we undertake in Augusta.

The Shire meets regularly with a group called the Augusta Representatives Group, with this Group communicating through their networks in the community. We will also ensure that updates are posted on the Shire’s Facebook page, website and in our eNewsletter - Leeuwin Current, along with the Augusta Margaret River Mail and the Pelican Post.

We know that some Augusta residents prefer to receive their news via local radio or via hardcopy noticeboards too, so will look at all options available to us.