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>> DR DENIS NAPTHINE: St Kilda Pier and its kiosk are Melbourne and Victorian tourist icons
and over 2 million people a year promenade out the pier here, have coffee, enjoy the views
and are actively exposed to the water.
And, of course, this is more than just a great tourist icon, it's home to the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron.
We know that there is a need to redevelop the berths here and there is also a demand
to expand the berths and the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, to their credit, have taken
on that challenge.
They're going to be developing the berths on that side of this arm here and they're
going to be moving from 190 berths to 260 berths and this is a really significant advancement
in the number of berths available and the opportunities for people to be involved with
yachts and with yachting, and with that fantastic sport on our bay.
What we're announcing today is $1.2 million dollar investment into improving facilities
here. And the first million dollars is on this very spot. What we're doing, is this
walkway here, is past its use-by date.
It's an important link to the Yacht Squadron, important public access, great place for people
to come fishing, to have a beautiful view of St Kilda and Melbourne, have a beautiful
view over the bay and over all of the other side of the bay.
It is a terrific spot but it needs refurbishment and the first million dollars of this $1.2
million dollars goes into rebuilding, refurbishing, redeveloping this walkway here.
The second $200,000 dollars of the $1.2 million is a strategic long-term investment.
The Royal Melbourne Yacht Squad are investing significantly into the facilities here and,
as part of that investment, they are building a breakwater on the southern side of the pier,
which is really important to protect the pier, to protect the berths here and provide safety
and security for all the users. And, as part of that rebuilding of that breakwater, the
$200,000 dollars that the Department of Transport, the government, is putting in, is putting
in some stainless steel sleeves, which will provide opportunities in the future for further
developments of the pier to be done at a much more affordable cost and without disrupting
the breakwater again.
So, this is a partnership between the government, the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron and the
local community, to make sure that we add value to this iconic St Kilda Pier and kiosk,
to provide a better environment for the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron to grow and develop
and, I'm sure, the whole of St Kilda, the whole of the broader Melbourne community,
will appreciate the outcomes of what we're doing today.