Coalition props up Leaning Tower

Ballina Coastguard deputy commander Joan Hurley and commander Norm Lannoy with Ballina Mayor Phil Silver, Senator Barnaby Joyce and Nationals candidate for the seat of Page, Kevin Hogan.

There seems to be some confusion between local and federal politicians about the state of the Ballina Coast Guard tower.

Announcing $2.5 million for a new tower if the Coalition is elected on Saturday, Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce and Nationals candidate for Page Kevin Hogan repeatedly described the tower as “unsafe”.

But according to Ballina Mayor Phil Silver, that is not the case.

“No, it’s not unsafe. If it was unsafe it would have been condemned and would no longer be in use,” he said. “However a lean has been detected and that’s due to the movement of the rocks in the North Wall, which was built in the 1920s. With all the water crashing through the sand has been washed out, the rocks have moved ever so slightly and a tilt has been detected.”

Mayor Silver said he did not think the statements were misleading and it was a moot point as “in the future it will have to be declared unsafe”.

“I’m very pleased with this announcement because it’s an important piece of community infrastructure and it has to be replaced, so the money we would have had to raise for that project could now go to other projects,” he said.

Never one to miss a good one-liner, Senator Joyce compared the Ballina Coast Guard tower to the Leaning Tower of Pisa – “now we have the Leaning Tower of Ballina” – and said the Coalition had made the commitment in direct response to Kevin Hogan’s relentless requests.

“Kevin Hogan’s been pestering us… and we can only put up with him for so long,” Senator Joyce joked. “He doesn’t take no for an answer and that is why he will be such a good local champion for the people of Page. As she (Julia Gillard) moves on, moves forward or goes away, we’re looking after those who are left behind.”

Poking fun at Labor, Senator Joyce said, “Kevin Rudd needed a tower like this to save himself from Julia Gillard.”

Senator Joyce praised the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard for their work in protecting the oceans and watching out for people “stooging up the river” who were looking suspicious. He said the volunteers helped to protect coastal towns from pests, foot and mouth disease and drugs.

“These people are being aware and astute and asking questions over the radio – who are you and what are you up to,” he said. “It’s really important we acknowledge the people who go to work for nothing to protect our nation. We need to invest in people who invest in our nation for free.”

Ballina Coast Guard commander Norm Lannoy said there has been a community fundraising drive over the last two to three years for a new tower, which has to date raised $80,000.

Mr Lannoy said Ballina Council had plans drawn up for a modern facility, but until last Friday volunteers were unsure of how the tower would be funded.

“We’re ecstatic about it… we started out thinking we’d have a building that was basically a square box. This $2.5 million came out of the blue and was a very big surprise,” Mr Lannoy said. “Ballina Council has drawn up plans for a coffee shop underneath, a training room above that, a communication room above that and an observation deck above that.”

Mr Lannoy said the new tower would be a state-of-the-art building.

“Currently we have no toilets and for security reasons we can’t operate out of there at night,” Mr Lannoy explained. “We’re currently operating 24/7 and after 5pm at night we have standby bases around Ballina at different locations that monitor all the phone and radio calls from passing boats and ocean traffic. With a new tower it can stay operating 24 hours and all happen from one location.”