Delayed, Deferred, or Disappeared: What’s Really Happening With Shoalhaven’s Projects
Hard Questions Councillors Should Be Asking the CEO
Shoalhaven Council’s latest capital works update looks positive at first glance — all “reprioritisation” and “efficiency.” But beneath the polished wording lies a reality of delays, cancellations, and hidden costs.
Projects Delayed (with Revised Timelines)
Nowra Local Area Traffic Management (LATM) scheme – 6 months late.
Ulladulla Harbour Foreshore Upgrade – delivery pushed into mid-2026.
Shoalhaven Indoor Sports Centre enhancements – now late 2026.
Shoalhaven Water Infrastructure upgrades – multiple pipeline works 6–12 months late.
Road renewal program (urban and rural) – less than 70% of 2025 targets achieved, slipping into 2026.
💰 Financial impact:
Direct “savings” this year: around $2.5m not spent in 2025.
Likely extra costs: $3–5m added by 2026, through inflation, re-tendering, and maintenance catch-ups.
Projects Put on Hold or Cancelled
Shoalhaven Animal Shelter Expansion – indefinitely shelved.
Community Hall Upgrades (Berry, Milton, rural halls) – frozen.
Waste Infrastructure (composting & recycling initiatives) – paused.
Foreshore Revitalisation (smaller projects) – on hold.
Library Technology Upgrades – deferred indefinitely.
💰 Financial impact:
Direct “savings” this year: approx. $3–4m.
Long-term extra costs: $4–6m, as buildings deteriorate, waste levies rise, and efficiency upgrades are missed.
The Real Bottom Line
Short-term savings: around $6–7m across the program.
Long-term added costs: conservatively $7–11m over the next 2–3 years.
So while Council is claiming prudence, the numbers point the other way. What’s happening is cost-shifting to the future — the financial equivalent of maxing out the credit card and leaving the bill for the next household.
The Spin vs. The Reality
The reports never use words like cancelled or abandoned. Instead, it’s “on hold,” “reconsidered in future years,” or “subject to funding.” That may sound careful, but for ratepayers it means slower roads, stalled community facilities, and long-term higher bills.
Hard Questions Councillors Should Be Asking the CEO
What is the true total of delayed and cancelled projects — in dollars and service impacts?
What is the inflationary penalty for deferral (3–5% per year across millions of dollars)?
Are service levels being cut by stealth, particularly in roads, waste, and community facilities?
Which “on hold” projects are unlikely ever to return — and why isn’t this being said clearly?
How sustainable is a capital works plan that banks short-term savings but racks up long-term liabilities?
💡 The truth is simple: the Council may look like it is “saving” $6–7 million today, but the real price tag for the community is closer to $10 million or more in the coming years — and service levels will drop in the meantime.
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Here is a quick disclaimer, orexplainer on the use of AI in the Eye.
This is the same old, same old position that has plagued Shoalhaven City Council for years. Things put off into the never never, or built to a price and require retrofitting. Even roads have built to a price in the past not to what was actually needed - and then of course there is seldom courage to increase the rates to actually pay for stuff. The Councillors can ask the CEO all the great questions but unless they are actually listening and enacting it’s just more time wasted shuffling paper. A growing city needs work done now not bandaids and debt transference to the future .