Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast Adam Crouch is calling on all Central Coast State MPs to join the Government in opposing a new Bill which would see rock fishers able to wear wetsuits instead of life jackets.
Crouch said the Rock Fishing Safety Amendment Bill 2021, proposed by the Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party, was “appalling”.
The bill proposes is to amend the Rock Fishing Safety Act 2016 to permit persons to wear a wetsuit instead of a lifejacket when fishing at high-risk rock fishing locations.
“For obvious reasons, the Government opposes the Bill, and I am staggered that this appalling piece of legislation was supported by Labor in the Legislative Council,” Crouch said.
“The Rock Fishing Safety Amendment Bill 2021 is probably one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation that I have seen in the place in a long time.
“I call on all members representing Central Coast electorates to stand with our community and Surf Life Saving volunteers and oppose this bill.
“Fishing is an incredibly important part of the lifestyle of many people on the Coast.
“I have 15,000 fishos in my electorate who enjoy fishing, including rock fishing.
“But we need to ensure that fishing, especially rock fishing, is done in the safest possible way.”
Surf Life Saving Central Coast and Central Coast Council led the way on working with the NSW Government to be the first region to introduce the requirement for rock fishers to wear life jackets.
“Unfortunately, this single page of legislation looks to remove the safety mechanisms that were put in place after a lot of consultation with first responders and the wider community,” Crouch said.
“Sadly, there was little or no consultation with probably the single biggest stakeholder, Surf Life Saving NSW, when forming the Bill.”
A copy of the Rock Fishing Safety Amendment Bill 2021 is available on the NSW Parliament website.
Source: Media release, Nov 15 Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch