Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull caught on dinghy without a life jacket

MALCOLM Turnbull has been fined after he was snapped on Sydney Harbour in a dinghy without a life jacket.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is snapped without a life jacket on a dinghy. Picture: Matrix

MALCOLM Turnbull has been fined $250 after he was caught cruising around Sydney Harbour on his dinghy without a life jacket.

NSW Roads and Maritime Services confirmed the fine would apply to the Prime Minister, who was snapped moving the dinghy a short distance to the beach on Wednesday.

Angus Mitchell, executive director of NSW Maritime, said safety was paramount on the state’s waters and this was a timely reminder to always wear a life jacket.

“With a fatality this morning just off Botany Bay, NSW Maritime Officers will be out in force during the New Year period to ensure all boaters are adhering to maritime safety laws,” Mr Mitchell said.

“We want to ensure everyone enjoys their break and gets home safely this summer so please, wear a life jacket and take care on our waterways.”

Mr Turnbull had earlier admitted he needs to brush up on the law after he was snapped without the life jacket.

The Prime Minister, who regularly paddles on a kayak behind his exclusive harbourside Point Piper home, was caught without a safety vest during an end-of-year frolic on Wednesday.

A famed lawyer before entering politics, the PM said yesterday he’d broken NSW laws despite only moving an inflatable dinghy “about 20 metres” from a private jetty to the beach.

“Water safety is all important especially at this time of year and as I discovered today we all need to be very alert to rules about wearing life jackets,” Mr Turnbull wrote on social media.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Christmas Day at Wayside Chapel, Kings Cross. Picture: Dylan Robinson

Under NSW laws, Mr Turnbull was required to wear a life jacket at all times as he was on the boat alone.

Mr Turnbull said earlier he’d called NSW Maritime after media inquires about a picture in The Australian, and was told regulations required him to wear one “even for that very short distance”.

He said rules can often seem “very technical” but were there to keep people safe.

“I wasn’t wearing a life jacket, but as NSW Maritime explained to me today when I called them, because I was in the dinghy alone, even for that very short distance the NSW regulations required me to wear one,” Mr Turnbull said on Facebook.

“The rules can often seem very technical, but they are there to keep us safe and we should all comply with them. So lesson learned; I will make sure I always wear a life jacket in my dinghy regardless of how close I am to the shore, just as I always do on my kayak.”

Mr Turnbull often spruiks his regular paddles on the harbour as a reason he stays physically and mentally fit in the role.

He has entertained foreign dignitaries, including former New Zealand PM John Key, and businessmen, such as GoPro founder Nick Woodman, during visits to his home.