Mr PETER BESSELING (Port Macquarie) [1.41 p.m.]: One of the best things about representing the people of the Port Macquarie electorate is the manner in which our community gets involved in local issues and drives local outcomes regardless of the bureaucratic obstacles that can be encountered when dealing with different levels of government. I am pleased to report to the House that another fine example of this local endeavour, which will have significant benefits for the preservation of our early settlement history, is taking shape.

Last week I met with Neil Black, Helen Ross, Bob Higham and Mike Vegter from the Rotary Club of Port Macquarie Sunrise to formalise a local effort to see the Tacking Point Lighthouse restored to its former glory and once again become a beacon of pride for our local community. Tacking Point, about five kilometres south of the mouth of the Hastings River at Port Macquarie, was named by Matthew Flinders during the northward leg of his circumnavigation of Australia on the Investigator. On 23 July 1802 he wrote:

To the northward of the Three Brothers there is four leagues of low and mostly sandy shore, and after passing it we came up with a projection whose top is composed of small irregularly shaped hummocks, the northernmost of them being a rocky lump of sugar loaf form; further on, the land falls back into a shallow bight with rocks in it standing above water. When abreast of the projection which was called tacking point, the night was closing in and we stood off shore, intending to make the same port next morning for some of this coast had been passed in the dark by Captain Cook and might therefore contain openings …

Tacking Point Lighthouse was built in 1879 as one of five similar lighthouses, including one further south at Crowdy Head designed by the New South Wales Colonial Architect James Barnet. The construction was undertaken by Sydney firm Shepard and Mortley at a cost of £4,650 and included an original light comprising a two-wick burner under 1,000 candlepower. The light was illuminated by kerosene oil and had a focal plane of 105 feet and visibility of 12 nautical miles. Construction also included an associated keeper's cottage.

A 1913 report, "The Lighting of the East Coast of Australia", proposed installing automated acetylene lights, not only on the grounds of greater visibility but also because "stationing men in lonely localities, with the disadvantages to themselves and their families inseparable from such conditions, is to be avoided". At that time only one keeper was stationed at Tacking Point Lighthouse; however, the last keeper was said to have left by 1919 to coincide with the conversion of the lighthouse to acetylene automatic control.

The lighthouse remains an icon of the Port Macquarie community and has been used in many promotional tourism campaigns targeting our beautiful coastline. It is fair to say that in relation to other similar structures of the same era it has not had the level of attention given to its upkeep and maintenance that befits its value to the people of New South Wales, and improvements to the site to leverage the tourism potential of the lighthouse and its surrounding landscape have not been realised. This is despite the fact that the area has become a vantage point for people drawn to the annual migration of whales up and down the coast and also forms an integral part of the very popular coastal walk between Port Macquarie's central business district and Lighthouse Beach.

There have been regular articles and local media reports highlighting vandalism and neglect at the lighthouse—issues that reflect the lack of attention paid to the facility. In 2008 the Lands Department finalised a 74-page report titled "Tacking Point Lighthouse Site Management Plan", which included key recommendations ranging from nominating the site for listing on the State Heritage Register to preparing an integrated landscape management plan for the site. The report notes that, where appropriate, public use and enjoyment of Crown land is to be encouraged and that it should be used and managed in such a way that both the land and its resources are sustained in perpetuity. It is time to make direct progress in addressing the recommendations of the management plan.

There have been ongoing issues relating to this site, as with many other sites across New South Wales, between the local council as managers and the Land and Property Management Authority, which is ultimately responsible for Crown lands in New South Wales. There has been a reluctance by either public body to drive planning outcomes that require any significant funding and there has been a distinct lack of coordination of the preservation of the site.

I fully support the Rotary club's lighthouse subcommittee and residents such as Gerry Walsh and Mitch Mackay who are taking an active interest in the future of both Tacking Point and its historic lighthouse. I strongly urge the Government to do the same.

 [Full Transcript]