New measures to improve information and safety during flooding of Audley Weir

This follows public anger when the crossing was closed for more than a month in total during the deluge in March and April.

An electronic message sign has been installed at the intersection of Sir Bertram Stevens Drive and Bundeena Drive to notify vehicles of weir closures, replacing the ageing "flip-sign" previously in place.

Hard barriers will also be installed on both sides of the weir to stop vehicles crossing during flooding and new live-traffic cameras will be installed to monitor flood levels at the weir.

Heathcote MP Lee Evans announced the measures after meeting with resident and business representatives.

The improvements may be helpful in the short term, but Sutherland Shire Council is seeking much more - advocating for the state government to provide a long term solution, such as raising the wall of the weir, as soon as possible.

"Audley Weir was built in 1883 and has served the community ever since," Mr Evans said in a statement.

"The weir typically floods three or four times a year but has already flooded 11 times so far in 2022 - due to excessive recent rain.

"These disruptions have understandably upset many, and the Perrottet Government is taking action to boost safety and reliability. I will continue to advocate for more to be done.

"Transport for NSW is working with National Parks and Wildlife Service and other emergency services to improve closure response times during flooding and to communicate more quickly with the community."

Sutherland Shire mayor Carmelo Pesce wrote to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Transport for NSW (TfNSW) on April 6, calling for:

A resolution passed by the entire council that month also called for short and long term action by the state government.

The resolution noted similar representations were made by the mayor to Mr Evans in March 2022.

NPWS and TfNSW were called upon to explore long-term solutions in consultation with the local community.

The council requested the two authorities take all reasonable steps to support and facilitate an urgent meeting between residents, local businesses, and interested stakeholders and to provide the community with a forum to receive clear advice as to solutions under consideration and associated timeframes for resolution"

Cr Jack Boyd, who seconded the motion moved by deputy mayor Carol Provan, said it was "really important to get everyone into a room together and work out where the responsibility of NPWS and TfNSW starts and finishes, and how can council feed into this".

Cr Boyd said the council wanted "a long term solution, but not pie in the sky".

"It could be raising the weir by a number of metres or something else," he said. "We also need timeframes."

Cr Boyd said the council had successfully pressured TfNSW to duplicate the bridge on Heathcote Road over Woronora River, and might consider putting up more signs on the Audley Weir situation.

Cr Greg McLean said Waterfall residents were also impacted because, when the weir was closed, traffic was diverted to their suburb, "across a narrow bridge, past a school and through the back streets until it reaches the highway".

"Recently we saw the collapse of half the road at Waterfall and, for the poor people of Bundeena, their best option to get to hospital was to drive to Wollongong," he said.

"The residents of Bundeena and also Waterfall deserve a lot better than this."

Cr Leanne Farmer said the weir had been closed 34 days up till that point.

"The danger we have is, because the weir is not being maintained and grates are blocked, some people are coming along and taking it upon themselves to lift out some of the rubbish from the grates," she said.

Cr Pesce said, as a business owner in the hospitality industry, he felt for the operator of the Audley Dance Hall Cafe and Events, who would have to be very frustrated by patrons being forced to drive the long way around through Waterfall.

"Sometimes, people would just say 'what's the point of going there'," he said.

Cr Pesce said if the council owned the infrastructure, the problem would have been fixed by now.

"I will be on Lee Evans' back every week until something is sorted," Cr Pesce said. "We will keep screaming until something happens."