Kingston Council is launching a round of community consultation surrounding the use of Personal Watercraft (PWC) like jet skis and wave runners.
With registrations consistently increasing year on year, issues around safety and compliance are becoming heightened, especially for bayside councils like ours.
Mayor Steve Staikos said Council has advocated to Maritime Safety Victoria and Parks Victoria through the Association of Bayside Municipalities for improvements to water safety regulation in recent years, including improvements to PWC legislation, regulation, compliance, and education, which has produced positive outcomes for the community.
“Being next to the water is one of the great attractions of living, working and playing in Kingston, but it’s vital locals and visitors alike can enjoy Port Phillip Bay in a safe and comfortable way,” Cr Staikos said.
“We spoke to the community when developing our Coastal and Marine Management Plan last year, and on the back of that work we really want to drill down more into the use of PWC.
“We’d really appreciate people taking part in our survey, so we can get a strong understanding of where our community sits on this issue.”
Maritime Safety Victoria is the agency responsible for PWC regulation, whilst Parks Victoria is the agency responsible for implementing and enforcing boating and swimming zones within Port Phillip Bay. The zones determine which vessels are permitted in defined areas, as well as areas defined for swimming only. Victoria Police also play a role in compliance of PWC regulations through the Water Police branch.
Have your say by visiting yourkingstonyoursay.com.au/pwc before Friday 9 September 2022.
