The Boating Industry Association of Victoria today voiced serious concerns over new Marine Regulations that are set to impose a minimum$643  cost on anyone wanting to obtain a recreational boat operator license,  heavy handed new penalties for existing boat owners including $120  parking fines, and a 500% increase in many fines for recreational  boaters on the water.

BIAV President, David Heyes said “Taking your son or daughter out boating during the day does not  need to cost you an extra $2400 if you forget to leave an all round white light on, while anchored somewhere for lunch”.

“It’s  obvious that this is about cost recovery under the disguise of  improving recreational boating safety. The Department of Transport had  to include the number of body boarders being swept out to sea in the  safety data in order to justify the position that all recreational  boaters are dangerous. The Department of Transport have presented a  safety case that is not only one-sided and misleading, it is seriously  flawed. They then had to initiate a bogus consultation process to help  sneak these proposed regulations through” said David Heyes.

David Heyes pointed to serious concerns with the consultation process, and added  “while BIAV acknowledge the Minister has doubled the consultation  period, the Department of Transport released over 400 pages of  documents, kept key documents hidden including safety data reports  referenced in the options paper, and started public consultation  meetings the very next business day for the purpose of providing  recreational boater support feedback to the Minister”.

“The  Department didn’t release a regulatory impact statement until 10 days  into the consultation process, an impact statement that they wrote  themselves anyway. This is not ‘comprehensive’ consultation, this is a  sham! It is clearly designed to mislead the recreational boating public  into rubber stamping the proposed regulations”.

David Heyes  said “BIAV formally asked the Minister for Ports to halt the rushed  consultation process until relevant information, including the  regulatory impact statement, could be read and understood by  recreational boaters before the Department reported their feedback and  the Minister refused to do so”.

“Recreational  boaters are not a money tree and the government can count on a swift  and vigorous response from industry and the recreational boating public.  The BIAV website contains a new regulations fact sheet and a submission  form for boaters to send to the Minister for Ports” David Heyes said.

For information on the new regulations and to send a submission by the October 11th deadline, visit the BIAV website at _www.biavic.com.au_ (http://www.biavic.com.au/)

Click here (http://www.biavic.com.au/downloads/New_Marine%20Regs_2011FactSheet.pdf) for the fact sheet.

Media enquiries: David Heyes

Click here to review the OZPWC forum discussion and submission examples