Anzac Peace Park’s corroded convoy jetty to be demolished as council votes not to keep ‘open-ended liability’

The convoy jetty will be no more after City of Albany council voted to demolish the 15-year-old structure at a cost of $220,000 following the discovery of severe corrosion corrupting its structural integrity. Built in 2011 at the fringe of the Anzac Peace Park through $500,000 Federal government funding, the jetty — known originally as the Pier of Remembrance — now has up to 62 per cent steel loss in its substructure. According to a structural inspection report, all of the jetty’s 36 steel piles showed severe corrosion that affected stability, forcing the city to block off its entrance in January. A public consultation survey asking whether the community wanted to repair and keep the structure returned overwhelmingly positive results, with 64 of 68 respondents reporting they wanted to keep it. Some reported that family ashes had been scattered from the jetty’s end and they went to visit it to reflect on the Anzac story, reading the plaques about the vessels that had departed. Alternatives posed to demolition included allocating $350,000 to repair and maintain the structure or $500,000 to repair and improve it. Speaking in favour of the recommendation to demolish the structure at the council’s March 24 meeting, Cr Tom Brough said while he understood it was a difficult decision given the community connection, the jetty was an “open-ended liability”. “Council’s job is also to make decisions with other people’s money that we can justify,” he said. “And the numbers here are unforgiving: 36 piles with up to 62 per cent steel loss; $350,000 is to patch it up with no improvements and uncertain longevity. “Half a million to do it properly for a structure that may well be back in the same condition in another 15 years, given the marine environment. “Against that, $220,000 to remove it, salvage the plaques in decking and free the reserve from an open-ended liability.” Peter Brown, a former member of the city’s staff who helped manage the project’s construction in 2011, requested the item be withdrawn from the council’s consideration as the detail included was “unprofessional”, claiming the report did not include a proper cost breakdown nor enough information about the damaged areas. Mr Brown said the structure had deteriorated due to a lack of preventative maintenance. Cr Rebecca Stephens, who said she was also working at the city at the time, said there was “little forethought around the longevity” of the project at the time of its construction. Another member of the public, Keith Allen, spoke against the demolition, saying that he was “surprised” the structure had reached the end of its life so soon and requested the city rebuild it with more sustainable materials to respectfully honour Albany’s Anzac convoy legacy. Cr Robert Sutton said their legacy, which was marked by the “terrible financial times” of the World War aftermaths and Great Depression, would be more prudently honoured with economic responsibility. “I think that the people that did leave and didn’t come back would be horrified if they could see money, which was hard to come by, poured into something that’s going to keep taking money,” he said. The motion was carried 7-2, with Crs Craig McKinley and Mario Lionetti voting against demolition on the respective grounds that the jetty was a hotspot for young fishers and could be rebuilt as a swimming platform. The jetty will be demolished “as soon as practicable” subject to the schedule of Albany 2026 events.