CONSULTATIONS BEGIN FOR NEW BOATING REGULATIONS
22nd August 2011
South-west residents have the opportunity to shape Victoria's proposed new Marine Safety Regulations at community consultation workshops to be held in Warrnambool and Portland next week.
Member for South West Coast and Minister for Ports Denis Napthine said the proposed regulations would affect both commercial and recreational boaters and encouraged people to attend the sessions which will be held at Portland on Tuesday and in Warrnambool on Wednesday.
"These new regulations aim to address a number of issues within the boating industry such as strengthening our vessel registration processes and improving the efficiency of our licensing system," Dr Napthine said.
"The proposed regulations also allow for modern day alternatives such as strobe lights rather than red flares to be carried on-board vessels.
"Community consultation is absolutely paramount for the Victorian Coalition Government so I, as Minister for Ports, doubled the length for the consultation period for these regulations," Dr Napthine said.
He said the new regulations were required to support the Marine Safety Act 2010 which was passed in Parliament last September.
"The Coalition Government wants to make sure Victorian boaters have the chance to have their voices heard during this time of significant change," Dr Napthine said.
"A copy of the draft regulations can be found on the Department of Transport website and submissions will remain open until October
11 this year.
"As the Minister for Ports, I urge people to make a submission so we can make informed decisions that reflect the best interests of the boating community," Dr Napthine said.
Other changes outlined in the proposed Marine Safety Regulations include:
- increasing the penalty level that can be issued on the spot;
- reducing the frequency of licence renewal to every five years; and
- the mandatory inclusion of the unique Hull Identification Number (HIN) on any registration transfer documents to help tackle vessel thefts and re-birthing.
The Portland workshops will be held on Tuesday, 30 August at the Portland Yacht Club, Lee Breakwater Road, Portland and in Warrnambool at the Surf lifesaving Club, Pertobe Road on Wednesday, 31 August. A Commercial Operators workshop will be held at 3.30pm and a recreational boat users workshop will be held at 6.30pm on both days.
For more information on the regulations please contact the Department of Transport on marinesafety@transport.vic.gov.au
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Premier Napthine
Contact Premier Napthine
Denis Napthine MP
State Member for South West Coast
94 Liebig Street,
Warrnambool VIC 3280
Phone: (61) 3 5562 8230
Fax: (61) 3 5562 6145
Contact Denis at his Warrnambool office