Call to urgently fund Warrnambool breakwater repairs to save it from damage

She made the comment on Tuesday after a meeting between senior city council officers and visiting opposition spokesman for fishing and boating Bill Tilley over the urgency of works needed on the state government asset.

Storm damage last year left parts of the breakwater closed off for months before it was repaired, but further works to protect it have been on the drawing board for years.

The member for South West Coast said the council - who manages the asset on behalf of the government - had done its homework and engineers had had a good look at it.

"If it's not done urgently, one more Warrnambool winter storm could actually topple it," she said.

"I'm sick of seeing assets break before they get fixed."

Ms Britnell said the reality was that the breakwater was a state-owned asset and people in the community didn't care where the money came from to fix it - whether it be state or federal coffers.

"What they don't want to see is waste. If this crumbles then it's going cost a lot more to fix after it has crumbled," she said.

"It's an iconic historical asset."

Ms Britnell said the community did get frustrated when jobs were not being done well in the first instance, and then having to fix them when they were broken.

She also took a swipe at the state government over the wait to fix the crumbling Princes Highway at Illowa which was promised millions in Commonwealth funding before the last federal election.

"The state have come kicking and screaming eventually with a smidgeon of money to get the job done but they haven't even started," she said.

Deputy mayor Debbie Arnott said while she did not have a crystal ball to know whether there was money coming in the state government budget to repair the breakwater, she was hopeful.

"I would hope that state government would listen and would realise just how important our port is to Warrnambool," she said.

Mr Tilley said the government needed to stump up enough money to fix the breakwater "right the first time".

He said the 132-year-old structure needed "significant investment".

"Mother nature is cruel. She's been hard on her, but we need to invest in the asset and make sure it is protected for future generations," Mr Tilley said.

"If the government of the day before the state election wants to turn around and throw a significant amount of money, I think Roma and the city of Warrnambool would be very happy to receive that."

But he said he didn't have the confidence that that would happen.

In 2018, work to shore up the breakwater with a rock armouring was labelled urgent and back then came with a price tag of $7 million.

The replacement of the South Warrnambool bridge needs to be finished before it can carry the weight of the boulders to breakwater - something the council says can't be done via Pertobe Road.

The council's forward planning documents show it was hoping to secured grants to fund the breakwater repairs in the 2024/25 financial year.

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