Derek Bullock
07-12-2004, 11:04 AM
Beattie Govt Announces New Plan To Manage Jet Skis
Caboolture: Queensland jet skiers will require a special jet ski licence and be prohibited from operating in "exclusion zones" under a new State Government plan announced today.
Following today's Community Cabinet meeting in Caboolture, Premier Peter Beattie and Transport Minister Paul Lucas announced Cabinet had approved a Jet Ski Management Plan for Queensland.
The plan, available for community comment until February 27, 2005, also standardises the minimum distance that must be maintained between jet skis and people in the water, moored vessels and the shore.
"There are 7291 jet skis currently registered in Queensland," Mr Beattie said. "Eighty per cent are registered in south east Queensland, with the majority in the Sunshine and Gold Coasts and along the Brisbane River," he said.
"Ownership has exploded by an average 30% each year for the past four years.
"Such a rise in popularity has caused some 'growing pains' for the broader community and complaints about amenity, noise and safety have escalated.
"Today my Government has released a plan which takes a common sense approach. It balances the needs of waterside residents, recreational boaties, the general community and the environment with those of jet skiers," he said.
Mr Lucas said the government plan promoted increased safety for jet skiers, by improving skills and knowledge.
"Although jet skis make up only 4% of registered recreational boats, since 2001 jet skis have accounted for up to 7.6% of all reported recreational marine incidents and 10% of accidents causing serious injury," he said.
"In the first six months of this year, four of the 13 serious or fatal recreational boating incidents in Queensland involved jet skis."
"Thankfully, there have been no recorded jet ski deaths," Mr Lucas said.
Proposed new measures in the Jet Ski Management Plan include:
1. A new class of licence specifically for jet skiers:
- A new stand-alone licence for jet skis will be introduced to improve the knowledge and skills of operators.
- From January 1, 2006, all persons operating a jet ski must have a jet ski licence.
- To be eligible for this licence, a person must first hold a recreational marine drivers licence or a commercial licence.
- From July 1, 2005, to December 31, 2005, existing jet ski users can upgrade their recreational marine drivers or commercial licence to include a jet ski licence by completing a written test.
- From January 1, 2006, all applicants for a jet ski licence will need to complete a Boatsafe (Jet Ski) training module before being eligible for a jet ski licence.
- The $32.05 fee for the new jet ski licence will be used for increased jet ski enforcement and education.
2. Exclusion and restricted-use zones
- Some areas of Queensland waterways will be able to be restricted for jet ski use by both exclusion zones (total ban) and restricted-use zones (restricting activities other than straight-line travel at set speeds).
- Maritime Safety Queensland will establish zoning assessment criteria, in consultation with local councils and other agencies.
- Local Councils seeking to establish exclusion zones in their area will be required to apply the criteria and consult the community on any proposal to limit or restrict jet skis.
- As these zones will primarily be created for amenity or quality of life issues, primary responsibility for enforcement will be a matter for local Councils and will be required to be addressed in any proposal to the State Government.
- Councils will then submit a zone proposal to Maritime Safety Queensland, which will make a recommendation to the Minister for Transport and Main Roads.
3. Increased "distance off" zones.
- "Distance off" regulations for jet skis will be 60 metres in all cases - from people in the water, anchored vessels, infrastructure and the shore. Within 60 metres they must travel no faster than 6 knots.
- Currently "distance off" requirements vary - it is 60 metres for people in the water, 30 metres from anchored vessels and no restrictions on how close jet skis can go to the shore.
- The government also is considering limiting freestyling and wave jumping to 200 metres offshore if one or more dwellings are adjacent to the water and visible to the jet skier.
4. Increased education and enforcement activities.
- A dedicated jet ski education and enforcement team will be introduced over the 2004/05 Christmas/New Year boating season.
- The jet ski team will focus on enforcing boat safety rules and educating jet ski operators on their responsibilities through regular patrols at known hot spots.
5. Increase the minimum size of registration numbers.
From July 1, 2005, the minimum size of registration numbering will be increased from 75 mm to 100 mm to make identification of offending jet skiers easier
Mr Lucas said the Jet Ski Management Plan was developed following a 12-month extensive review which received 237 submissions.
He said many of the changes brought Queensland into line with similar provisions in NSW and Victoria.
"Queenslanders now have until February 27 to comment on our proposals before we move to implement them by mid-2005 under amendments to the Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Act," he said.
The Minister said that following a spate of recent incidents Maritime Safety Queensland also proposes to review the age at which children are able to operate boats and jet skis under the supervision of a licence holder.
For the year ended September 30 there were 14 boating fatalities and 31 serious injuries. Of the five reported serious boating injuries to children, three involved jet skis.
Current laws do not place any age limit on children operating boats or jet skis under supervision. At present, size requirements for jet ski pillion passengers are similar to those for motor bikes, with the passenger having to be of a size so their feet reach the footrests.
Comments can be addressed to: jetskireview@transport.qld.gov.au or Director (Executive Services and Compliance) Maritime Safety Queensland GPO Box 2595 Brisbane Qld 4001. Ph: 3120 7474. Fax: 3120 7499.
Mr Beattie said the government wanted to ensure that the responsible use of jet skis continued without adversely affecting the community.
"The vast majority of jet skiers are responsible people - and no wants to cramp their reasonable recreational pursuits," he said.
"However, we have a responsibility to ensure liveability, safety and sustainability of our waterways for everyone who uses or lives near them."
6 December 2004
Media Contact: Paul Childs 3237 1942 or 0407 131 654
Caboolture: Queensland jet skiers will require a special jet ski licence and be prohibited from operating in "exclusion zones" under a new State Government plan announced today.
Following today's Community Cabinet meeting in Caboolture, Premier Peter Beattie and Transport Minister Paul Lucas announced Cabinet had approved a Jet Ski Management Plan for Queensland.
The plan, available for community comment until February 27, 2005, also standardises the minimum distance that must be maintained between jet skis and people in the water, moored vessels and the shore.
"There are 7291 jet skis currently registered in Queensland," Mr Beattie said. "Eighty per cent are registered in south east Queensland, with the majority in the Sunshine and Gold Coasts and along the Brisbane River," he said.
"Ownership has exploded by an average 30% each year for the past four years.
"Such a rise in popularity has caused some 'growing pains' for the broader community and complaints about amenity, noise and safety have escalated.
"Today my Government has released a plan which takes a common sense approach. It balances the needs of waterside residents, recreational boaties, the general community and the environment with those of jet skiers," he said.
Mr Lucas said the government plan promoted increased safety for jet skiers, by improving skills and knowledge.
"Although jet skis make up only 4% of registered recreational boats, since 2001 jet skis have accounted for up to 7.6% of all reported recreational marine incidents and 10% of accidents causing serious injury," he said.
"In the first six months of this year, four of the 13 serious or fatal recreational boating incidents in Queensland involved jet skis."
"Thankfully, there have been no recorded jet ski deaths," Mr Lucas said.
Proposed new measures in the Jet Ski Management Plan include:
1. A new class of licence specifically for jet skiers:
- A new stand-alone licence for jet skis will be introduced to improve the knowledge and skills of operators.
- From January 1, 2006, all persons operating a jet ski must have a jet ski licence.
- To be eligible for this licence, a person must first hold a recreational marine drivers licence or a commercial licence.
- From July 1, 2005, to December 31, 2005, existing jet ski users can upgrade their recreational marine drivers or commercial licence to include a jet ski licence by completing a written test.
- From January 1, 2006, all applicants for a jet ski licence will need to complete a Boatsafe (Jet Ski) training module before being eligible for a jet ski licence.
- The $32.05 fee for the new jet ski licence will be used for increased jet ski enforcement and education.
2. Exclusion and restricted-use zones
- Some areas of Queensland waterways will be able to be restricted for jet ski use by both exclusion zones (total ban) and restricted-use zones (restricting activities other than straight-line travel at set speeds).
- Maritime Safety Queensland will establish zoning assessment criteria, in consultation with local councils and other agencies.
- Local Councils seeking to establish exclusion zones in their area will be required to apply the criteria and consult the community on any proposal to limit or restrict jet skis.
- As these zones will primarily be created for amenity or quality of life issues, primary responsibility for enforcement will be a matter for local Councils and will be required to be addressed in any proposal to the State Government.
- Councils will then submit a zone proposal to Maritime Safety Queensland, which will make a recommendation to the Minister for Transport and Main Roads.
3. Increased "distance off" zones.
- "Distance off" regulations for jet skis will be 60 metres in all cases - from people in the water, anchored vessels, infrastructure and the shore. Within 60 metres they must travel no faster than 6 knots.
- Currently "distance off" requirements vary - it is 60 metres for people in the water, 30 metres from anchored vessels and no restrictions on how close jet skis can go to the shore.
- The government also is considering limiting freestyling and wave jumping to 200 metres offshore if one or more dwellings are adjacent to the water and visible to the jet skier.
4. Increased education and enforcement activities.
- A dedicated jet ski education and enforcement team will be introduced over the 2004/05 Christmas/New Year boating season.
- The jet ski team will focus on enforcing boat safety rules and educating jet ski operators on their responsibilities through regular patrols at known hot spots.
5. Increase the minimum size of registration numbers.
From July 1, 2005, the minimum size of registration numbering will be increased from 75 mm to 100 mm to make identification of offending jet skiers easier
Mr Lucas said the Jet Ski Management Plan was developed following a 12-month extensive review which received 237 submissions.
He said many of the changes brought Queensland into line with similar provisions in NSW and Victoria.
"Queenslanders now have until February 27 to comment on our proposals before we move to implement them by mid-2005 under amendments to the Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Act," he said.
The Minister said that following a spate of recent incidents Maritime Safety Queensland also proposes to review the age at which children are able to operate boats and jet skis under the supervision of a licence holder.
For the year ended September 30 there were 14 boating fatalities and 31 serious injuries. Of the five reported serious boating injuries to children, three involved jet skis.
Current laws do not place any age limit on children operating boats or jet skis under supervision. At present, size requirements for jet ski pillion passengers are similar to those for motor bikes, with the passenger having to be of a size so their feet reach the footrests.
Comments can be addressed to: jetskireview@transport.qld.gov.au or Director (Executive Services and Compliance) Maritime Safety Queensland GPO Box 2595 Brisbane Qld 4001. Ph: 3120 7474. Fax: 3120 7499.
Mr Beattie said the government wanted to ensure that the responsible use of jet skis continued without adversely affecting the community.
"The vast majority of jet skiers are responsible people - and no wants to cramp their reasonable recreational pursuits," he said.
"However, we have a responsibility to ensure liveability, safety and sustainability of our waterways for everyone who uses or lives near them."
6 December 2004
Media Contact: Paul Childs 3237 1942 or 0407 131 654