Cr Innes said she was heartened by the presentation of Italy’s Professor Enzo Pranzini on “coastal defence” at the Coastal Conference in Ulladulla last week.

Engineering solutions, Cr Innes said, were preferable to a policy of retreat.

“There were some refreshing and pragmatic approaches,” Cr Innes said.

She said Professor Pranzini’s experience in Italy, presented as part of an international panel at the conference, was helpful.

“Some are suggesting we implement options of retreat and look at possible buy back (of affected land), but I am more interested in looking at engineering solutions, especially after hearing his presentation,” she said.

“Whilst I am aware we are seeing sea-level rise, it is not going to happen overnight.

“The urgency behind making the policy is not as important as getting it right.”

Eurobodalla Shire Council is set to vote on its benchmarks for sea-level rise planning on Tuesday.

“We owe it to the coastal communities to look at all the options,” Cr Innes said.

She hoped Professor Pranzini and other speakers at the conference could be persuaded to address the council.

While Cr Innes may have initially believed coastal councils had been set a difficult task when the NSW Government walked away from its state-wide planning benchmarks, she now saw an opportunity to work with the state on solutions.

“Given there are 62,000 coastal properties (in NSW) potentially affected by inundation, erosion, sea-level rise, the expectation from those homeowners would be that we try to find engineering solutions,” she said.

“Those could range from sea walls and off-shore artificial reefs.

“We have to take on board what the science and the bureaucracy are saying and try to make it fit, but not impact the community as harshly as it might if we were to take a more extreme view.”

Both councillors supported Shoalhaven City Council’s recent decision to adopt the second highest level of risk and a 2050 projection of 230mm, rather than a predicted 260mm sea-level rise, and seven-year reviews.

Both said there was a strong feeling at the conference that delegates were moving away from 2100 fixed timeframes.

Cr Leslight said Shoalhaven’s decision to review its benchmarks every seven years, based on the latest tidal data, was sound.

“The Shoalhaven has done a great thing for our community,” Cr Leslight said.

“Their model is pretty damn good. 

“It would be foolish for us to be different again from the Shoalhaven.

“That is just suicide. 

“We are already suffering economically from our current interim sea-level policy and now we have a chance to fix it.”

He said trigger points were a sensible way to plan for the future.

“Fort Denison has been world renowned as (providing) the most accurate (measurement) information,” he said.

“We should be using that as our benchmark.

“If in seven years time, we have an increase on top of the current figure, then that is when we should be making a change of policy.

“We could be forecasting a catastrophic cost, when in seven years time it might not be as serious as we thought. 

“Give us the time to adjust.”