Wednesday, 15 November 2023

Water safety

Sam GROTH (Nepean) (19:17): (449) My adjournment matter tonight is for the Minister for Outdoor Recreation and once again pertains to the growing and ongoing issue of jet skis and their impact on coastal communities, especially mine in Nepean, and the action I seek is further enforcement and regulatory reform on the issue, especially as we head towards our peak summer period. Irresponsible use of jet skis is a persistent issue down my way and something I have been advocating about since I got to this place last year and started dealing with it. The member for South-West Coast, who is the Shadow Minister for Boating and Fishing, has been down and addressed this issue with me as well. I raised this issue in this place in February with the then minister; I know we have a new minister in place now. I am happy to work with the Minister for Outdoor Recreation, and I invite him to come down during the peak period and see the number of jet skis that happen to flock our way and how invasive they can be for those beach users.

We are approaching summer. We know the issue is only going to get worse over the coming months. It is a scourge in my local community. It almost makes going to the beach at times unbearable. It has already started. The warmer weather is starting to come, and one constituent reached out to my office recently and said that they had a jet ski hooning close to the beach, 20 metres offshore, weaving in and out between swimmers. I do not think that is a safe environment for people who want to get into Port Phillip Bay and be able to swim.

I do not by any means think that jet skis should be banned. We have all probably had fun on a jet ski at one time or another, but the improper use of these vehicles does have a negative effect on local residents, beachgoers and those visitors that come down to my electorate over the summer period and in other months. We know last year, and we saw it through social media and on the news and publicly, that there were instances where jet skis were disrupting swimmers and boat users and even going up to our marine wildlife such as the dolphins in Port Phillip Bay, and we have got to do everything we can to protect the species in Port Phillip Bay. As I said, I have previously raised this. There are some existing regulations in place, but we do see jet ski users routinely disregard these. We need a high level of police enforcement or presence. Quite often when the police are present jet ski users follow the rules far more closely.

I ask the government to take immediate action on this. We are moving towards the warmer months. I am sure, as the member for South-West Coast sits here, we are happy to try to tackle this in a way that works for everybody. If it needs a bipartisan approach, I am willing to work – it does affect my community – and I am sure the member for South-West Coast is willing to work. We have been speaking about this quite often. As I said, I do invite the minister to come down and actually see personally, for himself, just how invasive these are.