VIC state election 2018: Ramp Rage campaign launched

BOAT ramps, or the lack thereof, in Victoria’s most marginal seats could determine who governs Victoria after the next election.

boat ramp rage graphic online artwork

BOAT ramps, or the lack thereof, in Victoria’s most marginal seats could determine who governs Victoria after the next election.

More than 40,000 boat owners living in Victoria’s most marginal electorates have launched a Ramp Rage campaign ahead of the November 24 state election.

And boaters are calling on both sides of politics to listen, given they have the numbers to easily tip nine knife-edge electorates in favour of the party that delivers on their demands.

Cartoon: Chris Rule

The boaters want a greater share of the $27 million VicRoads collects in boat registration and marine licence fees to go back to upgrading and building new boat ramps.

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The Boating Industry Association of Victoria says the government is spending little more than $3 million a year on ramps and other boating infrastructure, siphoning off the remaining $24 million into Treasury’s coffers.

“Victorian boaters are rightly angry at having to wait hours to launch and retrieve their boats,” Boating Industry Association of Victoria president Mark Crockford said.

“This is particularly the case in metropolitan coastal areas and the Ramp Rage campaign has clearly demonstrated the amount of frustration and anger among Victoria’s recreational boating community.

“Both sides of politics should now be acutely aware of the growing angst and the implications this major issue will have on marginal seats in the looming state election.”

VicRoads’ annual reports show it has collected more than $136 million in recreational boat registration and marine licence fees over the past five years, but spent only $14.9 million on boating infrastructure over than time

This is despite the Marine Safety Act stating marine licence and registration fees must be used “for the provision and maintenance of boating facilities and services for the public”.

In 2014, the Victorian Auditor General found that Transport Safety Victoria paid VicRoads $5.2 million just to collect the fees each year.

A spokesman for Transport Minister Luke Donnellan said the Government had provided an extra $5.2 million in this year’s budget, including major works on Seaford Pier.

But BIAS policy officer Ben Scullin said the $5.2 million had been spent on upgrading piers and had nothing to do with boat ramps.

“Seaford, Rosebud and Dromana piers are for people to wander along and feed seagulls, not for launching boats,” Mr Scullin said.

The BIAV argues the poor state and overcrowding of boat ramps means that those that are accessible rapidly become choked with boat owners.

Ramp rage is set to become a major election issue, which hinges on Victoria’s sand-belt seats — Bentleigh, Carrum and Frankston — which in each case Labor holds on margins of fewer than 300 votes.

Seats such as Frankston, South Barwon and Bayswater are at risk, given they are home to thousands of frustrated boat owners.

Even in Mr Donnellan’s own electorate of Narre Warren North, which he holds by a margin of 1828 votes, there are 4341 marine licence holders.