Recreational boat owners with a mooring licence will benefit from reduced fees if they opt-in to a new shared use system spearheading a final package of reforms designed to improve the use and management of boat moorings throughout WA.
The Department of Transport (DoT) has released the Mooring Regulation Streamline Review 2014-2016 which contains initiatives providing a more equitable mooring administration system that will better meet the needs of WA’s growing boating community.
DoT General Manager of Marine Safety Ray Buchholz said shared short-term use of moorings would maximise access to and optimise use of infrastructure often left vacant and not utilised for long periods of time.
“Consultation with the boating community undertaken as part of the review revealed strong support for a short-term casual use system that protects the rights of the licence holder by maintaining priority use at all times,” Mr Buchholz said.
“With nearly 100,000 registered recreational vessels and only 1800 approved moorings in WA the new framework for short-term casual use allows greater opportunity for more people to safely enjoy the State’s most popular boating areas such as the Swan Canning Riverpark.”
The changes will also see the introduction of a formal waiting list system for all gazetted Mooring Control Areas that have reached capacity in WA to provide a transparent process for those seeking to obtain a mooring in sought after locations and reinforce current regulations preventing mooring holders to profit from their mooring.
Additional mooring classifications will allow for the operation of moorings for specific purposes. These include rental moorings which are owned and managed by a controlling authority such as DoT and can be booked for use for a set fee.
The package of changes, which require legislative changes to be implemented, follow DoT’s Mooring Regulation Streamline Review which received more than 800 comments as part of a two stage consultation process.
The reforms will be included in a new workable single set of mooring regulations which are currently subject to two acts of Parliament - the Shipping and Pilotage Act 1967 and the Western Australian Marine Act 1982.
Visit www.transport.wa.gov.au/mooringreview for a copy of the reforms or contact DoT on 9431 1000.
