New powers have been given to police and maritime officers operating in NSW waters after the passing of the Marine Legislation Amendment Bill 2016 on the 31st May 2016.
This means that if you go out with the intention to harass other waterway users, drive dangerously or behave in a menacing manner you could be facing heavy fines, prison time and confiscation and impounding of your craft.
Duncan Gay (Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight, and Vice-President of the Executive Council) says in his speech to parliament
“Boaters who are safe and considerate, who do not speed or menace, or unreasonably
interfere with others out on the water, who maintain a safe distance, stay under the legal alcohol limit, and
do not operate a boat while affected by drugs, this bill is only good news for you.”
“There is no place for driving in a dangerous and menacing manner. We do not accept it on our
roads and we should not accept it on our waterways. We need to target offenders and hit them hard to put a
stop to it, and avoid penalising responsible jet skiers with waterway-wide restrictions. This is why a new
offence of operating a vessel in a menacing manner is introduced in this bill under section 13A. It mirrors a
similar offence in road transport law and can result in a penalty of a fine of up to $3,300, imprisonment for
18 months or both. Higher penalties apply in the case of a second offence.”
Here at excite safety training we believe this is a win for the vast majority of boaters and recreational jet skiers who just want to go out and have fun on the water , Tell us what you think in the comments below.
You can read the outline of all the changes here
