Victorian government appoints Fishing and Boating Minister

The freshly elected Andrews Labor government yesterday named former Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford as the state’s first Minister for Fishing and Boating.

The appointment follows up from a pre-election pledge from the government that it would divert more of the $27 million a year in revenue collected from the state’s fishers and boaters into improving infrastructure, as well as reducing the number of fees boaters pay to get out on the water.

Pulford, part of a newly named ministerial line-up that splits the new-look cabinet evenly between males and females, also gains the Roads, Road Safety and Transport Accident Commission portfolios.

The member for western Victoria does have previous form in the portfolio, having been deeply involved in the state’s Target One Million program, a 2015 initiative designed to encourage more people to take up recreational fishing.

Her ministry was also successful in buying out most of the remaining commercial netting licences for Port Phillip Bay, and opening up Blue Rock Dam to bass fishers.

How the fees gathered from recreational fishing and boating were spent became a hot topic in the lead-up to the state’s November 23 election after lobbyists including VRFish and the Boating Industry Association of Victoria (BIAV) questioned where millions of dollars in related revenue collected in the state claimed little of the money was being returned to either activities.

Overcrowding and the poor condition of boat ramps at popular Port Phillip and Western Port Bay locations was cited as an example of the lack of spending, highlighted by the BIAV’s Ramp Rage campaign.

The Matthew Guy-led Liberal opposition had promised to divert all the revenue collected from the state’s boaters and fishers into a separate fund that would be managed by the Victorian Ports Corporation Melbourne, which would prioritise where the funds were spent.

The BIAV welcomed Pulford’s appointment. “We look forward to an excellent working relationship and to achieving great things for boating infrastructure, for boat ramps and access to the water in particular, as well as safety”, BIAV chief executive Steve Walker said.

“The minister has already been involved in some very positive announcements for boating, when Minister for Regional Development, and we look forward to many more.”