Lives at risk: Fisheries officers ordered to abandon marine safety inspections

The Victorian Fisheries Authority has ordered its officers to stop all marine safety inspections, putting boat owners’ lives at risk.

Fisheries officers have been ordered to stop marine safety inspections, to check boat owners have flares, life jackets and the other safety equipment.

The sacking of 33 fisheries officers has prompted Victorian Fisheries Authority executive director Travis Dowling to order all remaining officers abandon marine safety inspections.

Fisheries officers have warned the move will compromise boat owner safety and lives, given up until now they had undertaken 70 per cent of all marine safety checks.

The VFA directive states: “As part of the restructure of the VFA community engagement and major crime division, the VFA will refocus its enforcement activities and resources towards fisheries offending that poses the greatest risk to fisheries resources.

“Fisheries officers are to cease conducting marine safety inspections and issuing official warnings or infringements for marine safety offences.”

Any serious offences are to be reported to Safe Transport Victoria and the water police for follow up.

Former fisheries manager Ross Winstanley said officers undertook frequent inspections of anglers and boaters vessels to ensure they had all the requisite and up-to-date safety gear on board – from flares and torches to compliant life jackets.

“Without their (officers’) efforts, boaters will be taking to the water in vessels with inadequate safety equipment, putting lives in danger,” Mr Winstanley said.

Inspection records show VFA fisheries officers are undertaking more than 10 times the number of inspections as Safe Transport Victoria, which is the lead agency for marine safety.

STV conducted the following number of marine safety inspections:

2023/24 – 524

2022/23 – 518

2021/22 – 520

2020/21 – 536

In contrast VFA conducted the following number of marine safety inspections:

2023/24 – 6115

2022/23 – 6310

2021/22 – 5897

2020/21 – 4231

Victoria’s water police also conduct inspections.

Boating related deaths have decreased by 50 per cent since fisheries officers became authorised under marine safety legislation to inspect vessels in about 2016.

Former VFA chief investigator Murray Donaldson said officers, who are government employees, would now “by direction ignore boating safety regulations.

“This has the potential to elevate the need for rescues and increase deaths at sea. Their work in marine safety is preventative and they have been doing this for 25 years.”

The move to strip 33 fisheries officers from the VFA is part of an Allan government savings measure that leaves the remaining 36 officers to patrol 2512kms of coastline, 85,000km of rivers and creeks, plus vast areas of open ocean.

At the same time Outdoor Recreation Minister Steve Dimopoulos and the Victorian Fisheries Authority are pouring funds into promotional events.