THE Member for Eastern Victoria, Melina Bath has called on the State Government in State Parliament to adopt a safety plan for San Remo Jetty to address public and workplace risks.

The plan proposed by the San Remo Fisherman’s Co-operative (Co-op) 12 months ago, seeks to manage identified risks on the shared use facility as visitation continues to grow.

Ms Bath who is also Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Public Land Use told parliament, the San Remo Jetty required improved traffic management and safety upgrades.

“One year ago, the Co-op proactively wrote to Parks Victoria with its plan to improve safety, yet there’s been no action from the state government,” Ms Bath said.

“With the closure of the nearby Newhaven Jetty in May, more land-based anglers have migrated to the San Remo Jetty.”

Ms Bath said the San Remo Jetty is a busy shared space supporting commercial fishing, recreational boaters, ferries, wildlife cruises, land-based anglers, swimmers and sightseers.

“The Co-op even offered to fund the upgrades to improve safety for the public and its fishing fleet. With summer just around the corner, the areas summer population will swell from 12,000 residents to 60,000.

“WorkSafe recently raised safety issues with all marina businesses, reminding operators of their obligations under the OH&S Act.

“This jetty is integral to the region’s fishing industry; I commend the Co-op’s 30 members for their support of locals and tourists.

“As the town’s largest employer, the Co-op’s request to improve and pay for safety measures, should not be ignored by Labor.

“I am calling on the Minister for Ports to intervene and give the San Remo Fisherman’s Co-operative plan the green light by the start of summer before there is a serious incident.”

From Hansard

Adjournment Debate Victorian Parliament Legislative Council Tuesday, October 29, 2024: San Remo Jetty:

Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (22:38): (1222) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Ports and Freight, and it relates to public and workplace safety issues on the San Remo Jetty in Bass Coast. The action I seek from the minister is to commit to improving public and workplace safety at the San Remo Jetty by adopting a plan put forward by the fisherman’s co-op, and to do so as soon as possible before there is human tragedy.

This jetty is managed by Parks Victoria, and it is shared by commercial fishing, recreational boating and ferry traffic. Indeed, it is a very busy jetty, and it hosts wildlife cruise departures, a refuelling station, land-based anglers, swimmers, jetty jumpers, locals and tourists, all mixed into one space and a recipe for disaster. In the summertime the region’s population quadruples.

The jetty is an integral part of the fisherman’s co-op. The fisherman’s co-op has an annual turnover of between $4 million and $5 million, employing up to 60 people – the town’s largest employer. The 30-member co-op runs a fleet of 12 vessels. Compounding this problem is something of the government’s own making, because it closed the Newhaven jetty, only a few hundred metres away. That was due to lack of maintenance, lack of interest and lack of care by the Labor government. As such, the recreational anglers have moved to the San Remo Jetty.

There is a solution, and it has come from the general manager of the co-op, Wolfgang Platzer. He proactively presented Parks Victoria with a comprehensive plan to separate the public access and commercial activities, but to date there has been no inclination to work with the co-op.

My estimation is that Parks Victoria is frustrated with the Labor government’s obfuscation. Six months ago WorkSafe wrote to the co-op speaking about the rise in incidents in relation to drownings and hypothermia at Victoria’s marinas, reminding them of their obligation in relation to OH&S.

The co-op have even put forward a sensible solution and are prepared to pay for it, and they want to ensure that the commercial fishers can keep working in a safe environment, as can the visitors and recreational fishers. So, the action, again, I seek from the minister is for the minister to adopt the plan put forward and do so as soon as possible – by 1 December if absolutely she can – before there is a human tragedy.