KINGSTON COMMUNITY STILL WAITING ON JETTY INSURANCE CLAIM
MEDIA RELEASE - 6 FEBRUARY 2026
Kingston Jetty Pre Storm in 2020 and Post Storm Damage in 2025.
Following severe storms in May 2025, the Kingston Jetty was severely damaged and then three weeks later in June, after more storm surge events and seven metres swells, the Jetty was destroyed. An engineering report estimated the extent of damage at $11.2 million and a claim was submitted to the State Government, which self-insures its assets. (The Jetty is leased by Kingston District Council from the State, as is the case for many other Jetties around the state). Now almost eight months on, the Kingston community are still no wiser as to when the matter will be resolved.
Comments attributable to Kingston District Council Mayor Jeff Pope
It is extremely frustrating for our community and the many thousands of visitors that enjoyed coming to fish and walk on the historic jetty, that we have no clarity on the outcome of the insurance assessment and for us to share, consider and agree on re-build options.
Council has been fielding enquiries every day from the community and visitors alike about what is happening and we don’t know what to tell people. Our requests for clarity have not as yet been responded to, despite it now having been several months since being destroyed and frankly our community deserves better.
It is concerning that government is about to enter caretaker and we may not have clarity for some months after the election and therefore no replacement jetty (even to be begin planning for) ahead of next summer. Once we do have answers, Council will need to negotiate with the State on revised lease terms and plans and then go through a community consultation process about how best to rebuild it, the materials, costs and possibly location. All this will collectively take some months, so time is of the essence before caretaker period to have answers.
The Kingston Jetty is approximately 150 years old and was nearing end of natural life at the time of the storms, yet was identified in a Local Government Association (LGA) Values of Jetties report in 2024 as being one of the most visited and most loved jetties across the state.
In 2022 the State commissioned an options business case, with the recommended option to completely re-build, however, replacing it like for like was approximately $17 million.
The then Minister in 2024 proposed an option for repairs, which required a matching contribution from Council and would have required further significant repairs in later years, with no clarity of what the State’s expectations were on Council, what our future financial exposure would be in that model and any conditional revised lease terms. Now that the Jetty has been lost, we think we have a potential innovative way to re-build the Jetty at a much lower whole of life (50 year) cost than previous repair options proposed, however, we need to understand the State’s position to assist us in this objective.
The State Government may argue that we haven’t maintained the Jetty in recent years to a required level, however, our position is that the asset was at end of natural life, repairs would not have been effective financially due to sunken costs and its age and condition would not have withstood the power of the storms seen last winter.
The engineering report also proposed that any re-build of the Jetty should raise the height further above high-tide water level by a minimum of 1.2 metres to combat predicted increased wave action. This indicates that in today’s changing climate and increased storm events, the Jetty was no longer fit for purpose.
Kingston is one of many jetties around the state that the LGA is seeking increased annual funding to support these loved assets in coastal communities, which provide high economic and social wellbeing benefits but which small coastal councils are not adequately equipped financially to maintain. There needs to be a better approach holistically for all jetties and we hope in our case the government will announce it will be settling this claim satisfactorily.
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Contact:
Jeff Pope
Mayor, Kingston District Council
E | jpope@kingstondc.sa.gov.au
M | 0407 114 700
Ian Hart
Chief Executive Officer, Kingston District Council
E | ceo@kingstondc.sa.gov.au
M | 0408 809 712