Have been told on good authority ??? that future access could be rather bleak.
Supposedly, in the near future, the controlling body intends to shut down the public areas, then wait to see what the reaction will be, and unless it's very vocal, keep the doors closed.
Any comments from an authoritative source ??? ???
Luc
Hi Luc, at the SWFSA meeting the other night, Mark from the SEQ W Corp informed us that one of the boat ramps is no longer open to the public. It has been leased to a private fishing club who now has sole access to this part of Wivenhoe. Same will apply to others around the dam eventually. They intend to keep a few open for the public.
Somerset still has access. Kirkleigh will eventually have a private sector controlling it.
Regards, Randall.
So, the SWSFA will stock Wivenhoe, but access will gradually become restricted to the members of private clubs.
Mmmm, how is this justified ? More importantly how do we voice our objections to it ?
Randall, how was this news received at the SWSFA meeting ?
Hi Graham, mate, we have known for a while that this would eventually happen and I guess we have had a while also to get used to the idea.
Most of us think it stinks but the corporation is just like any other enterprise, it always wants to cut costs and show more profit. They are no longer interested in maintaining the facilities.
We will continue to stock both dams, as we have a duty to do this. One never knows what may happen in the future.
More on this as news becomes available.
PS: You can read a release artical in the QT about it today. Mc Leans Point closed from Feb 1st.
Regards, Randall.
Tuesday, February 26, 2002
Disguised tax
THE South East Queensland Water Board is imposing its hated $5 picnic tax by stealth.
A public outcry forced the commercialised water board to indefinitely defer its picnic tax plan last year, so now it has shut the public out instead.
The core of the problem is the $1 million a year it costs the board to run camping grounds and picnic areas at Wivenhoe Dam.
Since it can’t raise that money via the picnic tax, it is slashing its costs by passing control of selected areas to special interest groups, such as rowing and fishing clubs.
Those groups in turn allow only their members to use the areas, meaning the public must pay via a membership fee to use fishing and barbecue areas they previously could access for free.
This will end up costing many people more than the proposed picnic tax.
And that’s only if they’re fortunate enough to know who to contact to pay up before turning up to find the gates to their favourite spot locked.
It’s a user-pays system gone mad when applied to such basic facilities as boat ramps, barbecue plates and shelter sheds.
MY SAY
As far as i am concerned if we NOW have to pay to access these waters by JOINING a club that has a lease to what ever section is bullshit. What do we have now private waters ????? or are these waters still public ????.
Take em of the stocked impoundement program if they can only be accessed by joining a club.
So now we pay a
Stocked impoundemnt licence
Boating permit
Now a fee to one of a special interest group , rowing club or a fishing club. Thats damn near blackmail .......... you can only fish here if you pay us.
I guess in the future we will all go into a ballot with only 100 anglers allowed access at cost of $$$$$$$
Sits back with interest to what will happen at Somerset as i figure this has already been done just we not been told yet.
hi guys
>>
thats my view thank you >
cameron
Cannot agree more redback ......................
hey brian
how have you been >
catch up soon
cheers cameron
Have to agree with you Redback, If Somerset & Wivenhoe are destined to become "private" waters because only a select few who belong to "clubs" can access it, NONE of the sip money should go to those dams.
Let the "club" members stock the dam.
This whole thing is bullshit !!! Public moneys build the dam and the public owns it and should be able to access the water/fish.
This is the thin edge of the wedge and if anglers don't jump up and down about it in a big way to let the government that this is simply not on, anglers will pay more and more for less and less.
Luc
Yes anglers need to speak up otherwise this is the thin edge of the wedge. Lets face it you basiclly have it at North Pine now. No intention meant here on knocking the stocking group.
But you have a sailing club and the stocking group with the only access to the waters of North Pine.
If you want to access the dam you must be a member of the sailing club or lucky enough to have scored a ballot to allow you to fish the dam from the stocking group.
Public Dam NOT private ................ leave it that way
Howdy redback long time no see .......... will have to catch up sometime
A couple of irrelevant points of clarification.
I don't think that you can include/compare the boating scheme at north pine dam in with what is happening at Big W and Som.. To start with the NP boating scheme took five years of planning and applications to the water board before they gave approval to get the scheme up and running and the lease was set up on land that had no public access to begin with. This was done to raise money for stocking therefore the group asked to be exempt from the SIP's scheme.
Second RE SIPs reallocation, It would be counter productive to stop the stocking group from recieving SIP's money now so that in a few years time with a change of government and or management, access is returned creating a whole in the stocking regime. I guess that would allow someone to winge and bitch about how poor the fishing is and how they are not getting their value for money.
If you don't want Sm. or big W to get your SIP's money then don't tick them on the SIP's form
Yes its terrible that they are closing all the access points down, yes we should do our best to keep access open and make our opinions/voices heard.
At the end of the day Somerset and Wivenhoe should still be stocked with SIP's money Why kick the stocking group in the teeth for something they have no control over. They have done a bloody good job so far building an excellent fishery it would be short sighted and ludicrous to do anything that would reduce the current stocking levels and reduce the potential of this fishery.
hearsay and misinformation can only hurt the cause.
my two cents worth
Simon.
Guys, you may be missing the point.
Somerset will always have public access. It is the most heavily fished impoundment out of all the other impoundments on the SIP.
The plan to privatize Kirkleigh has nothing to do with its closure, reather, this facility will be enhanced with better facilities. There may be a cost for entrance however!!!. The new owners will be encouraging anglers, not turning them away.
Wivenhoe, although with limited access, will still be a public Dam. Will probably be electric only for many years to come.
A fishing club has been enjoying private status for many years already in case no one was aware.
The Corp plans on turning over only one more ramp to lease.
Nothing much will change really.
Thats my understanding.
Regards, Randall SWFSA
The Spit will always be open and no charges apply here. Except for the current boating charge.
hi guys
idont have a problem with any stocking group i have been amember of one for five yrs now and will stay amember for years to come i know how much hard work goesinto keeping it going just geting sick of the bullshit isuppose
cheers guys
As i said Simon no intention meant at knocking the north pine group.
What i was trying to point out there are only two ways to access this dam, club membership via the sailing club or via the ballot system currently in place at the moment.
I feel this will be how many if not all of our impoundments will go albeit the powers to be may leave a token spot open so recreational persons cannot say we are denied total access, maybe.
As for sips i don't think it really matters what you tick to be honest just a feel good thing as far as i'm concerned. How the hell do we know the fingerlings are going in the numbers by the way we tick ???. As for keep a tick in for the big W and Somerset, not from my pen, maybe IF and WHEN we are %100 sure what is happening at these waters will i change.
As for in a few years a new government / management group things may change ...................... holly shit you are a hopeful one. As for me, sorry, once in never out, other than more out of our pockets.
As for Somerset Randall I will just sit back as see what happens although i'm betting the powers to be are seeing what reaction and flack they get from these closures at big W cause, before they try on Somerset.
Brian, mate, I dont think I`ve ever see you so passionate about a topic before!! (Oh yeah, thats right. I have shared a rum with you on the banks of the Baffle around a campfire!! How could I forget that conversation!! ;-) )Originally Posted by Brian
You and I go back a ways and I know you well enough to know you are usually right!!
However, I think, after conversations with the Corp, that they really dont give a rats about what anglers think about them closing some access points. Thats the Corp in general, not the individuals I spoke to.
We as a group have zero say in this matter. Thier not watching to see how anyone reacts. They have made thier corporate decission and thats the way it will be.
However again, you may be surprised in future developments regarding this impoundment!! (Wivenhoe);-)
Sworn to secrecy right now.
Regards, Randall.
PS: Need to talk to you regarding Voodoos. Can you email your ph number?
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