$50 dining cashback lands for SA coastal venues this summer
South Australia is turning on the tab for coastal diners, with a $15 million state–federal program offering up to $50 cashback per customer at participating venues hit by algal blooms. Premier Peter Malinauskas says the dining program is “unlike any other one we’ve seen in the state before”.
Here’s how it works: 300,000 dining vouchers will be released via ballots — the first opens 3 November with 60,000 vouchers, followed by monthly rounds through March. Diners upload a receipt and unique code to claim 50% off their meal, up to $50. Restaurants, cafés, pubs, clubs and takeaways in eligible postcodes can register to take part.
“When you do the numbers, that means that there is $30 million set to be expended in coastal communities where $15 million will be given as a cashback to patrons who take up the opportunity to visit a coastal community,” he said.
“We anticipate that it will stimulate a huge amount of demand in coastal communities.”
The dining cashback arrives alongside a fresh round of “Coast is Calling” travel vouchers, with 30,000 up for grabs. The public ballot runs from 1–3 December, with winners drawn on 4 December, and travel valid from 5 December to 26 April (book by 19 January). This time the offer is broader: accommodation vouchers of $500 for a five-night stay, $200 for two nights and $100 for one night, plus $100 experience vouchers — and, importantly, holiday rentals, including Airbnbs, are now in the mix.
On the ground, beach measures are stepping up to match the summer push. Surf Life Saving patrols will check conditions daily across six metropolitan and two regional beaches, while the Beachsafe app adds real-time updates for 23 locations so visitors can see if the water is clear, when the sand was last cleaned and what to expect before they set out.
More announcements are coming. The premier said the summer plan is “just the beginning”. “By the end of the week, you will see the total package of the summer plan and how its broken down into its parts,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide. “We’re talking serious money here to tackle a really difficult problem,” he said. “This is a big effort to make sure that people are enjoying the beach and we don’t have adverse economic outcomes.”
The opposition welcomed action but questioned communication. “These are great initiatives and things that we’ve been calling for all the way along and really disappointed it’s taken this long for these things to turn up,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide.
“There are so many questions that still need to be answered, sadly the messaging from the government has been poor all the way along. It’s not about the opposition attacking them, it’s actually the government actually haven’t been telling people what they need to know.”
Jonathan Jackson, 14th October 2025
