River Murray MPs call for more police on water as fresh video emerges of boating near-miss

A man hanging off a speedboat’s sunshade as it hurtled along the River Murray has been captured on camera, as MPs call for more police to stamp out poor behaviour. See the footage

Footage has surfaced of another Australia Day boating accident on the River Murray, the same day a woman was flown to hospital after being hit by a boat while swimming.

It comes as River Murray MPs say there are not enough police in the region to monitor water users, with one arguing that boaties doing the wrong thing “should have the book thrown at them”.

The phone camera video obtained by 9 News Adelaide was taken from the shoreline, and showed a man hanging off a speedboat’s sunshade as it hurtled along the river at Swan Reach.

As the boat accelerates, he loses his footing on the bow and is swept under the hull, but no serious injuries were reported.

The River Murray at Mannum, roughly 60 kilometres from Adelaide. Picture: File

Later that day, just before 7pm, a 20-year-old woman at Mannum was struck by a boat and suffered serious injuries.

A 43-year-old woman was arrested and charged with one count each of causing harm by dangerous use of a vessel, operating a vessel without due care and operating a vessel with a prescribed concentration of alcohol, after allegedly returning a positive reading of 0.142.

Hammond MP Adrian Pederick, who represents the town in state parliament, said the lack of police in the area “is an issue”.

“Sadly, it seems the only way to get the message across is to throw the book at people who do the wrong thing,” Mr Pederick said.

“There’s definitely a problem with the lack of police down there. It’s the minority of boaties who do the wrong thing, but they need the full force of the law on them.

“Being on the river is no different to being on the road. It’s a totally shared resource whether you’re on a jet ski or ski boat.”

He said there is plenty of room on the river for activities, as long as people remember to respect each other and the space.

Chaffey MP Tim Whetstone, who also represents Riverland communities, said he was “shell shocked” by the news but that it “reinforces there’s a lack of resources put into river compliance”.

He said he has observed or heard reports about poor behaviour on the river, including jet skis “behaving badly”, inattentive boaters and people swimming too far from shore.

“I’m on the river most days, and the lack of education and understanding, being part of a river community, is demonstrated here with a catastrophic event like this,” Mr Whetstone said.

Hammond MP Adrian Pederick said more police were needed along the River Murray. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

Chaffey MP Tim Whetstone on the riverbank. Picture: Tom Huntley

“It’s not a reflection on those enforcing the law – there are just not enough resources put into prevention.

“We see very, very few compliance officers on the river, and that is reflected in what we see today … It’s all a reactionary response, but if someone gets hurt, it’s put into a spotlight.”

In his 15 years in the seat, Mr Whetstone said he had made representations to successive governments pleading for further measures.

“We need more resources into water licensing and educating river users, and that will go a long way to making it safer,” he said.

He also expressed his condolences to the people involved in the accident.

A government spokesman said that police “made it clear” the river would be a target in a dedicated safety operation.

“Last week the Government launched a new boating strategy to help combat irresponsible and dangerous behaviour and improve safety for all water users,” the spokesman said.

Asked how many water patrols were in the area, an SA Police spokesman declined to comment on numbers, but said there were officers “actively patrolling the Murray region over the long weekend”.

“As well as monitoring the metropolitan coast, police from the Water Operations Unit, Murray Mallee patrols and Marine Safety Officers have been actively patrolling the Murray region over the long weekend conducting alcohol and drug tests as well as safety compliance checks on the river and around boat ramp areas,” he said.

“Anyone who sees dangerous behaviour on or around waterways is urged to contact police immediately on 131 444 or triple-0 in an emergency.”

Originally published as River Murray MPs call for more police on water as fresh video emerges of boating near-miss