Council’s Beach Raking Plan Collapses After DEECA Refusal, Raising Questions Over Costs and Decision-Making

DEECA blocks mechanical raking at multiple beaches

Mechanical raking will remain banned at several Mornington Peninsula beaches after the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) refused Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s application to continue the practice at sites where endangered native vegetation is present.

In a letter issued on 31 October, DEECA advised the Shire that consent under the Marine and Coastal Act would not be granted due to the presence of Coast Saltwort (Salsola tragus subsp. pontica), a species listed as endangered in Victoria. The decision affects large sections of Ranelagh, Safety Beach, Rosebud, McCrae West and Dromana.

An internal email to councillors seen by STPL News confirms raking cannot occur “where mechanical raking impacts native vegetation,” noting that DEECA’s decision was made at Regional Director level due to “the public interest in the outcome.”

This development significantly reduces the scope of the mechanical cleaning program.

The ruling significantly reduces the Shire’s raking program. Of the 31 km of beaches the Shire normally cleans, only 6 km (19 percent) will now be mechanically raked.
A further 9 km (29 percent) are inaccessible to machinery and will continue to be hand-cleaned, while another 9 km (29 percent) must be hand-cleaned because of protected vegetation.

This outcome comes almost 12 months after councillors first voted in December 2024 to reinstate mechanical raking across all accessible beaches, a decision detailed in a previous STPL News report: Council Stands Firm Amid Criticism Over Beach Cleaning Decision.

Josie Jones raises concerns over environmental and financial impacts

Environmental advocate Josie Jones OAM, who worked with other community members to map the endangered Coast Saltwort and other species from Portsea to Mount Eliza, says the Shire’s decision-making has overlooked established findings.

In an interview with STPL News, she said:

“councillors have ignored the evidence and data, they went against the officer recommendations, and they’ve now cost hundreds of thousands of dollars”

Jones said the decision by the notorious bloc of six councillors to return the Shire to 100 percent mechanical raking has now cost ratepayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, only for the permit applications to be rejected.

She said the push for mechanical raking contradicts the Shire’s regular messaging around erosion and rising coastal management costs.

Jones also outlined several issues with raking, including its inability to collect common litter items, the physical disturbance it causes to beaches, and the long-term erosion impacts documented at several Peninsula locations. She said most broken syringes and broken plastics historically found along the coast originate from the mechanical raking process itself, with fragments accumulating around rocky outcrops that can only be cleaned by hand. She said this is due to the rake’s design, which cannot collect items smaller than approximately nine centimetres.

She also noted that Coast Saltwort is present on some of the beaches still scheduled to be mechanically raked, and says this is now a question for DEECA to address.

Cost breakdown: raking vs hand cleaning

Data supplied to councillors and referenced during the interview shows a significant cost disparity between mechanical raking and hand-cleaning.

Hand-cleaning (2023–24)

• 595 kilograms of waste sent to landfill
• Total cost: $7,000
• Waste comprised actual litter collected by hand crews

Mechanical raking (2023–24)

• 81.7 tonnes of material sent to landfill
• Cost per tonne: $1,994.07
• Estimated total: approx. $162,790
• Majority of material was seaweed, rocks, sand and shells rather than litter

Environmental data included in the Hand in Hand for the Coast document shows mechanical raking is between 22 and 40 percent effective, as much litter is re-buried or fragmented during the process.

Council’s position: reshaping the program

In the email to councillors seen by STPL News, the Shire’s Manager of Infrastructure and Waste Services said officers had submitted permit applications that included an ‘avoid and minimise’ statement for beaches with endangered vegetation.

However, with DEECA refusing consent, the Shire will now modify the program to maximise allowable raking. Raking will continue at:

• Mothers Beach
• Mount Martha North
• Mount Martha South
• Rye

Officers are also considering:

• Higher-frequency hand cleaning
• Hand raking in targeted areas
• Seaweed relocation
• Trialling smaller raking equipment

Updated beach-cleaning maps will be provided to councillors after the polygons are redrawn.

Community reaction

Local discussion has intensified over the past week, particularly on social media.
Some residents who supported raking expressed frustration, citing reports of seaweed build-up. Others questioned whether the concerns were overstated, noting that volunteers had been hand-cleaning Ranelagh and surrounding beaches for several months with minimal litter observed.

Several residents raised safety concerns after an unverified claim that syringes had been found at Ranelagh. Environmental groups say syringes are largely concentrated at Mount Martha, where 255 were collected over a 15-month period.

Community members also questioned why councillors did not anticipate DEECA’s refusal, given the endangered plant had been documented along the coast.

Councillor Stephen Batty responds

Cr Stephen Batty publicly commented on the issue earlier this week, stating he was notified of DEECA’s refusal on 20 November and had sought an urgent meeting with the Shire’s CEO and officers to understand the decision.

Batty said he supported reinstating mechanical raking at Ranelagh due to “overwhelming” community support, and expressed disappointment with DEECA’s ruling. He said he would advocate for the decision to be reviewed.

Environmental groups say DEECA’s decision cannot be overturned without legislative changes because Coast Saltwort is protected under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act.

What happens next

With DEECA’s decision now determining the limits of the program, the Shire will continue a mix of mechanical and manual cleaning while alternative approaches are explored. As the debate continues over costs, erosion impacts and the effectiveness of raking, the question now turns to the community:

What approach do you believe should guide the future of beach cleaning on the Mornington Peninsula?