One of the key roles Australian Sailing plays for the benefit of our sailing community is an advocate around marine safety and our strong measures in place as a sport. Australian Sailing has been invited to make comment on a range of potentially new safety recommendations for consideration by Maritime Safety Queensland. I would like to further extend this invitation to our Queensland Clubs to provide me with your comments and feedback for inclusion into our response on the initiatives.

Purpose

• To raise our concern at ongoing recreational boating tragedies and the need for a broad-based safety review
• To provide a broad base of recreation boating recommendations which may be considered to enhance boating safety in QLD

Recommendations (in no particular order.)

1. National and QLD based focus on harmonized and consistent recreational boating safety frameworks across all States & Territories.
2. Broad based review of recreational boating safety legislation and regulations.
3. Compulsory wearing of lifejackets before, during and immediately post any coastal bar crossing in AUS regardless of recreational boat size / type eg. may include PWC and Kayaks / Surf ski’s (eg. passive craft).
4. Compulsory wearing of life jackets in any vessel to 6m with a single occupant.
5. Compulsory wearing of life jackets for any child under 12 in any vessel to 6m.
6. Require all persons boating between sunset and sunrise to wear a life jacket in boats up to 6m.
7. Review of the definition of smooth waters for all current designated areas and look at practicality of 2nm along coastline exclusion from open water requirements.
8. Move current boundary partially smooth water in Moreton Bay back to Peel Island or a line from Ormiston to Days Gutter (moving open treacherous area of bay into open water).
9. Extend the EPIRB requirements to all partially smooth waters in QLD.
10. In partially smooth and open waters make it mandatory to either have a chart of the area operating in and a liquid damped compass, or electronic navigation device.
11. Bilge pump and baling equipment requirements to be made mandatory in all partially smooth and open waters.
12. Mandate VHF radios in Partially Smooth Waters and Open Waters.
13. Mandate radio operator training in the use of VHF radios for any vessel equipped with a VHF radio.
14. Marine licensing training should include additional and/or enhanced safety, education awareness, and assessment provisions relating to;
    1. Understanding and assessing weather conditions for recreational boating
    2. Boat handling in adverse weather or tide conditions
    3. Understanding the types of lifejackets available and who, when they should be worn
15. Such training should be included as mandatory modules in boat license training (initial) and as an on-line package for marine license renewals.
16. Boat licensing should remain face to face competency based for an initial license, and then by way of online update/refresher module assessments as a prerequisite to license renewals, perhaps aligned to driver’s license renewals or periodically eg 3-5Y.
17. Consider mandatory introduction (notwithstanding the cost) of CTP property/injury insurance, and or comprehensive boat insurance which includes CTP provisions.
18. Continued patrols and enforcement by appropriate agencies.

If you have any feedback or comments on any of the above items or would like to raise a new topic please email them to Ben Callard via ben.callard@sailing.org.au