Coastal erosion laws in NSW rankle councils

The private versus public debate - and who pays of course:

New legislation on the management of coastal erosion has once again stirred debate over the amount of control landowners should be given to protect their properties.

With three-quarters of Australians living on the coast, the issue is being discussed at all levels of government.

In New South Wales, the State Government is putting together new legislation which could - for the first time - give landowners the right to erect emergency barriers to shield their properties.

The legislation is aimed at preventing court cases similar to one that played out recently in Byron Bay on the NSW north coast, where landowner John Vaughan took the council to court for the right to defend his land.