Thursday, 9 February 2023

Adjournment

Southern 80 event

Peter WALSH (Murray Plains) (17:11): (31) My adjournment matter tonight is for the Minister for Environment in the other place, and it is on behalf of the Moama Water Sports Club and particularly Steve Shipp, their president. The Moama Water Sports Club run the Southern 80 boat race at Echuca, and what they would like the minister to do is instruct the department to do the work so that the riverbank can be opened between Torrumbarry and Echuca so when the Southern 80 boat race happens on 24 to 26 March – it is later this year than it normally is; the traditional weekend is in early February but they put it back this year because of the floods – they will have the river camping areas and the viewing areas along that stretch of river between Torrumbarry and Echuca open to the public so that people can actually go to the Southern 80, can come to Echuca.

Not only is Echuca an agriculture-based town, it is a very important tourism town. The hospitality industry there and the accommodation industry rely on business coming to the town, and the Southern 80 is one of the flagship events on the tourism calendar of Echuca-Moama. So that river needs to be open so people can come. They come in the tens of thousands to watch the Southern 80. The Southern 80 is the premier boat race in Australia, if not the world, where you have got boats with two skiers up. They can do the 80 kilometres from Torrumbarry to Echuca in sub-30 minutes if they are the top-class boat, so it is quite exciting for those that camp and go along the river to view the race to actually be able to see those boats go past.

For those three days of racing they have asked that I raise with the minister that the work be done by Parks Victoria to make sure our side of the river is open. They hope that NSW forests do the work on the New South Wales side. The Victorian government chooses not to be a sponsor of the Southern 80. They were for quite a few years. They are no longer a sponsor of that race. Destination NSW do put significant sponsorship money into the race, but I would like to think that the Victorian government could do their bit this year by actually making sure the river is open so that visitation can come back to Echuca for the race.