There are renewed calls to expand the ban on Jet Skis near a pristine beach on the edge of the Royal National Park south of Sydney.
In an interview on Radio 2GB this morning, the Labor MP for Heathcote, Maryanne Stuart, said she had received calls to broaden the area where Jet Skis are already banned near Bonnie Vale Beach, a camping spot near Bundeena.
Ms Stuart told 2GB’s Ben Fordham:
The Bonnie Vale Beach is in Bundeena, which is situated in the Royal National Park – which is the second oldest National Park in the world – along the Port Hacking River.
There’s a massive campsite there, there’s a small business owner who has kayaks and stand-up paddle boards.
There’s of course the beach … and in the northern eastern part of Bonnie Vale Beach is a swimming zone, which is a restricted area (banning) PWC or personal watercraft.
That restricted area is being breached and people have come to me in regards to that particular issue.
Jet Ski users should be 200 metres off the shoreline and 60 metres away from swimmers, but that is not happening, and I have plenty of footage – both videos and photos – that show otherwise.
The complaint is about safety … (Jet Ski riders) are not adhering to the restricted area.
So the petition is being used as a tool for me to be able to engage with the community – whether they be a Jet Ski user or not – about what sort of solutions we can put in place.
The ban was suggested because back in 2017 there was a discussion paper around this.
Which was then done by The Office of Environment and Heritage, and they actually suggested a ban for Jet Skis along Bonnie Vale (Beach).
There’s already a restriction around the swimming zone. We just want to look at extending that.
If that is not the best solution, I’d love to hear from people.
Nothing is off the table. And then we sit down with all of the stakeholders (including) National Parks, Water Police, the Environment Department, (NSW) Maritime, and sit down with them, put all the solutions on the table, and we will work through what is the best solution for that particular area.”
The politician said Jet Ski use in that area “spoils the environment”.
It’s a very pristine area as you can imagine in the Royal National Park, Ms Stuart told Radio 2GB.
There’s fragile (sand) dune systems, there’s a threatened species, which is the seagrass bed which is called Posidonia. And that’s of course a food source (for birds and sea-life).
We get migratory birds that come and rest and nest along this area … they come from all around the world.
We also have offshore birds that are threatened species such as the Eastern Curlew.
We already have across NSW, 23 waterways where Jet Skis are not permitted.
One of those is already in Port Hacking, one of course is Sydney Harbour, and one is around Botany Bay.
(A broadening of the Jet Ski ban) is achievable, we’re just asking for that restriction to be extended a little bit more, so that Bonnie Vale is totally excluded.
When Radio 2GB’s Ben Fordham asked the politician if she found Jet Skis “annoying”, Ms Stuart said:
It’s not my preferred craft.
My family and I love to go kayaking there, it’s absolutely peaceful, pristine. It’s a magnificent spot.
Radio 2GB’s Ben Fordham then rounded off the interview by saying:
The thing about Jet Skis: They’re so much fun when you’re on them, but if you’re not the person riding them, they’re a pain in the you-know-what.
The interview can be found on this link between timing markers 43:25 and 48:15.
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