Tuesday, 10 May 2022

Shepparton boat ramp

Ms LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (17:11): (1900) My adjournment is for the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, and the action that I seek is for the minister to clear the impasse that prevents Parks Victoria from giving its approval to reinstate the Shepparton weir boat ramp. I recently took the Shadow Minister for Fishing and Boating, Mr Tilley, to the site of the Shepparton weir boat ramp to meet with members of the Undera Angling Club, who have been lobbying for the boat ramp to be reinstated. This is not just about fishing access. This boat ramp is just downstream of the weir near the Shepparton cemetery, and the next boat ramp access is about 23 kilometres downstream. Reopening this boat ramp would provide the Shepparton Search and Rescue Squad, the police and other emergency services with safe and reliable access to this section of the river closer to their location in Shepparton, and it would save travel time to the boat ramp but also significant time travelling back upstream for incidents that occurred closer to Shepparton.

The boat ramp itself was closed without consultation in 2011. It had been part of Shepparton life since 1902, with various iterations improving access and allowing for movement of fish from below and above the weir rapids. In the past five years several members of the angling club, led by John Graham, and others have been meeting with authorities from all levels of government to get the ramp reopened. They have even offered their services as caretakers of the reserve. They have developed a workable design that they tell me with a bit of machinery and labour could get the ramp up and running in a day. They are not blind to the risk of the river current near the ramp but believe that that too can be mitigated. Currently large boulders block access to the access road. The angling club believes that Parks Victoria are not comfortable with the risk involved in reopening the boat ramp and for this reason are blocking the reinstatement of the ramp. The angling club understand that consultants are now independently assessing the feasibility and risk, including how those risks may be mitigated in any boat ramp design. The club’s passionate members, including John Graham and Neville Lavis, believe that Better Boating Victoria under Minister Horne also looks favourably on their proposal.

We all accept that safety is paramount in such undertakings, but users with vast experience and knowledge of the river say the design of a single-lane boat ramp could be tailored to reduce that risk. It would be open access for anglers and those seeking disability access to the river and could just save a life in an emergency. I understand Mr Tilley from the other place has written to the minister independently asking for the situation to be reviewed, and on behalf of the Shepparton community I would ask the same, but also that the minister review Parks Victoria’s opposition. In particular I would ask that any review take far less time than the five years it has taken to get to this current impasse.