Whitsunday MP slams $1.39m Shute Harbour boat ramp upgrade as ‘inadequate’

The state government calls its Shute Harbour upgrade ‘a big win for boaties’ but Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm said the community believes the opposite.

The boating community, Whitsunday councillors including Mayor Andrew Willcox, and now Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm have expressed concerns over Shute Harbour boat ramp upgrades overseen by the state government. Picture: Supplied

Boat ramp upgrade works worth $1.39m at Shute Harbour are now complete, but the backlash against the state government’s chosen design rages on.

Now, Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm is urging the community not to accept the “substandard” finish.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey announced this week Mackay-based contractor Vassallo Constructions Pty Ltd had completed the upgrade with a new fixed walkway for “easier use” and the repositioning of the nearby council-owned pontoon slightly further out “so the ramp can be easily approached around the walkway”.

Mr Bailey said the completed project, in the works since 2017, represented “a big win for boaties”, with the fixed sloping walkway and support lane combination chosen for its proven durability in areas subject to flooding and cyclones.

“One of the benefits of a fixed walkway is it allows boaties to use the boat ramp and walkway without having to get into the water,” Mr Bailey said.

“As with all marine fixed walkways, they are designed to withstand a higher wave loading, which makes it suitable for Shute Harbour which is often subject to wave action and extreme weather.”

But Ms Camm said the finished works “fall short of the expectations of the recreational fishing community and broader community” and urged Mr Bailey to visit the site and “work with Whitsunday Regional Council and the community to deliver the necessary improvements”.

“Residents are waiting for upgrades and improvements to the Shute Harbour boat ramp, to ensure safe access, parking and launch facilities,” Ms Camm said on Thursday.

Ms Camm said the Whitsundays represented one of the largest boat registrations in Australia, and its residents “should not have to settle for substandard boat ramps”.

“The discussions that I have had with Whitsunday Regional Council highlight that there were no community consultations that took place prior to awarding the tender,” she said.

TMR said the ramp would open for public use when the council‘s harbour restoration project is completed in September.

Mr Bailey said his department was “aware future expansion of facilities in the area need to be addressed and carefully considered”, and was “open to considering” a contribution towards a council-led feasibility study for an expansion of facilities at Grubby Bay.