GLENELG River shack owners have launched a social media campaign and petition to save the iconic structures from looming demolition.
The “Save the SA Shacks on the Glenelg River” Facebook page has already attracted more than 2000 followers since its launch late last week.
The online petition – which has been addressed to Premier Jay Weatherill – has recorded more than 1000 signatures to date.
Shack owners are also planning to create an incorporated body as a vehicle to push for legislative change.
Campaign spokesperson Brett Orr said they wanted to whip-up community support and raise awareness on the issue via a social media campaign.
Conceding there were arguments “for and against” retaining the shacks, he said they were part of the regional landscape and had been there for decades.
“These shacks make up the character of the whole region,” Mr Orr said.
“Although they are sitting on crown land, they have been there since the 1940s.”
He claimed the Donovans township and the shacks were intertwined and part of the community’s fabric.
“Our concern lies with the impact the destruction of shacks in general will have on the local and wider community,” Mr Orr said.
The campaign spokesperson urged people to visit the social media page and sign the petition to demonstrate the groundswell of support.
He said shack proponents wanted to work with the Weatherill Government to find “common ground” on the issue.
“We want to find a way forward with the government,” Mr Orr said.
He said the shack owners had already gained support from the Liberal Party, which had pledged to save the riverside buildings if it won government in March.
“This is a shadow government in waiting,” Mr Orr said.
With some shacks already earmarked for forced demolition, he said it was now time to step up the push for change and seek legislative amendments to save the structures.
Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell said his party did not have the numbers to push through legislative changes ahead of the state election in March.
“The Labor Party has said they will not support it and we have made our policy clear that we want to see those shacks saved,” Mr Bell told The Border Watch.
But under Liberal Party policy, he warned these shacks would have to be upgraded to meet environmental standards.
“Shack owners will have to spend money on them – they will need to be structurally sound and compliant in terms of grey water,” the Liberal MP said.
Mr Bell foreshadowed the ownership of the shacks would be transferable.
Environment Minister Ian Hunter yesterday stood by the government’s decision.
“In 1994 the Liberal Government reviewed all shacks across the state and determined that the shacks along the Glenelg River were unsuitable for freehold ownership,” Mr Hunter said.
He said the Victorian Government removed all shacks on the Glenelg River in the 1980s.
“As the leases have now ended and the shacks themselves are still prone to flooding, erosion and have inadequate waste water disposal, they will be removed by the department,” Mr Hunter said.
