Victoria to look into building boat-launching ‘super ramps’

Recently appointed Fishing and Boating Minister Jaala Pulford, speaking at the official opening of the 2019 Melbourne Boat Show last week, revealed her department would look into converting some of the state’s launching ramps into super ramps after its current list of projects was completed.

“Our focus ... for the first six months has sort of been sort of gearing ourselves up for successfully doing all the things we’ve said we’ll do, and meeting the expectations of the boating community,” Pulford told boatsales.com.au.

“We still want to talk to lots and lots of people.”

Pulford said her department had already started setting the framework in place for a review of how public boating infrastructure across Port Phillip Bay and Western Port was managed, with the aim of handing down its findings in the next 12 months.

However, it still needed to work out how the estimated $27 million raised from boat licencing and registration fees each year would be spent once the government’s current two-year project to upgrade six of Melbourne’s most under-resourced boat ramps was completed.

“What Victoria needs is a boating strategy, because that then will become an important guide for where the money gets spent in future, and how we determine what standards we want at what boat ramps, and what facilities we need,” Pulford said.

“For everyone who might want that all done yesterday that might feel slow, but that bit is actually going to be very important to guide our work for future years.”

Better Boating Victoria, the division within the ministry that will oversee the removal of parking and launching fees across more than 500 public boat ramps spread throughout the state, will rank the facilities with the busiest, accommodating up to about 300 launches a day, classified as Tier 1 facilities.

On the other end of the scale, Pulford said some boat ramps used an honesty box, complicating how the allocation of funds will be measured. Funding is likely to be split between Melbourne-based boat ramps, which account for 80 per cent of boating activity, and “destination boating” venues at places such as Mildura and the Gippsland Lakes.

“The next priority areas where we’ve got the fee-free boat ramps in place will be developing the strategy and guidelines for how the Better Boating Victoria fund will work on an ongoing basis, and also set a really effective reference group for my benefit … so we’re hearing what the boating community wants,” Pulford said.

Pulford said people could expect to see the six boat ramps named in the Victorian Labor Party’s 2018 election commitment overhauled first, with future projects built around a “standardised” boat ramp that factors in “community expectations” for the facilities including parking, lighting and security.

However, where the super ramps will be located will depend on the outcome of the government’s investigation into where Melbourne’s biggest boating hubs lie.

Better Boating Victoria chief executive Gary Gaffney said the government would draw up a “heat map” on boat ownership to help it determine where the super ramps would best be located.

“That will help guide us on the future of a Tier 1 ramp,” Gaffney said.