Major parties angling for the fishing vote

THE peak body representing Victorian recreational fishers is buoyed by bipartisan support from the major parties for improving recreational fishing and boating in Victoria via a range of long overdue and popular reforms.

If re-elected, Labor has pledged to return 100 per cent of licencing and registration fees to boating safety and facilities, abolish all boating ramp parking and launching fees and establish a Better Boating Fund to fix the state’s failing boating infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Nationals have committed to creating a Blue Infrastructure Fund to reinvest all boating revenue back into boating infrastructure and have made it their policy to abolish boat launching and parking fees.

Boating governance reforms will be supported with Labor establishing a dedicated boating infrastructure authority and the Liberal Nationals on appointing the Victorian Ports Corporation
to oversee, build and maintain marine boating infrastructure.

“Our fishers are frustrated with the current state of our boat ramps and fixing our ramps through better governance and funding is a key priority within our election policy,” VRFish chair RobLoats said.

The Victorian government collects around $27 million annually from boat registrations and licenses, but it is estimated that only $3 million per year is reinvested into boating infrastructure. VRFish has strongly advocated for all boating registration and licence revenue to be held in a trust account to build, maintain and improve Victoria’s recreational boating infrastructure.

“We are elated that both parties have has listened to our concerns and provided bipartisan support to improving the boating experience for all of Victorians recreational fishers and boaters,” Mr Loats said.

“We have also been advocating for one single expertise-based agency to oversee, build and maintain our boating infrastructure as there are over 40 separate organisations managing Victoria’s boat ramps which has led to many ramps being neglected.”

Fixing Victoria’s boat ramps through boating infrastructure governance and funding reforms is a key priority in the VRFish election policy, based  on the priorities of Victorian recreational fishers.