Open letter to NSW Maritime: Please reconsider Jet Ski licence fees, here’s why

Maritime authorities in NSW are about to introduce the highest Jet Ski licence fees in the world, close to $2000 over 10 years. Here’s why the price hike is unfair – plus we’ve listed some ideas to improve safety without penalising the majority who do the right thing.

By Joshua Dowling

COMMENT

Maritime authorities in NSW are caught between a rock and a hard place – and Jet Ski riders are about to cop a blast of salt water in the face.

The increasing number of Jet Skis in NSW – up 44 per cent over the past five years – has left NSW Maritime dealing with a surge in novice riders.

Unfortunately, even though the overwhelming majority of Jet Ski riders do the right thing, rogue riders are highly visible (and audible) and ruining the sport for the rest of us.

NSW Maritime officers – and NSW Police – are bearing the brunt of the boom in Jet Ski sales over the past five years, and are increasingly frustrated with the number of riders who flout the law, or have no idea they are breaking it.

When the NSW Government last week announced widespread increases to Jet Ski licence fees that were already the highest in the world, the NSW Jet Ski community was left speechless.

The three Jet Ski manufacturers – Sea-Doo, Yamaha and Kawasaki – were left blindsided.

No-one saw this coming, perhaps because authorities had already made up their mind.

Surely some kind of consultation was warranted given such astronomical increases in Jet Ski licence fees versus those for boats.

While it’s easy for politicians and authorities to demonise Jet Skis for TV news grabs, it’s actually a cop-out once you dig into the data.

The logic provided by NSW Maritime for the sharp increase in Jet Ski licence fees was the rise in serious injuries among Jet Ski riders versus boaties.

But the data shows the opposite is true. So why have Jet Ski riders been hit so hard?

While meetings between the Jet Ski industry and the NSW Government are scheduled to take place imminently, for now it is unclear whether there will be a reprieve from the draconian fees.

In the off-chance it is not too late to plead the case on behalf of Jet Ski riders in NSW, here is our list of reasons why these new fees are grossly unfair and discriminatory.

Plus we’ve included some ideas to improve water safety.

  • Motorcyclists are over-represented in fatal and serious injury crashes on the road, and yet they are not charged disproportionately excessive licence fees compared to car drivers.
  • P platers and novice drivers are over-represented in fatal and serious injury crashes on the road, and yet they are not charged disproportionately excessive licence fees compared to other motorists.
  • Rock fishermen are over-represented in ocean drownings because they are swept off the rocks (and retrieving their bodies is costly and dangerous), yet licences or special permits – or fines for not wearing a life jacket – have not been imposed on them.
  • NSW Maritime data shows Jet Ski riders are not disproportionately involved in fatal or serious injury incidents on the water compared to boat users.
  • The latest data shows boat users are more at risk of death and serious injury on the water – both as a raw number and as a proportion of licence holders.
  • Jet Ski licence fees are now so high that a number of otherwise law-abiding riders may be tempted to get a lifetime licence in Queensland for a one-off fee of $124 (versus almost $2000 for a 10-year licence in NSW).
  • Watercraft Zone does not condone this loophole as it is a legal requirement to hold a Jet Ski licence in your primary place of residence.
  • However, surely it would be better for the NSW Government to continue to source revenue from NSW Jet Ski licence fees at more reasonable prices, rather than losing some of this revenue to another state.
  • We would encourage NSW Maritime to regularly audit Jet Ski licence providers. Unfortunately, there are numerous reports of new Jet Ski riders obtaining a licence endorsement without even sitting a test.
  • NSW Maritime education officers at boat ramps – and the on-water safety officers in boats and on Jet Skis – are one of the most effective ways to raise Jet Ski rider awareness about distance-off rules, low-speed zones, and no-wake zones.
  • It is disappointing to see how few Jet Ski riders know these basic rules. Perhaps a knowledge test should be taken annually and/or at licence renewal time.
  • Give NSW Police – and NSW Maritime – more scope to seize Jet Skis on the spot for dangerous riding offences, high-speed offences in low-speed zones and near swimmers, defective (excessively loud) Jet Skis, and any violent offences.
  • Rather than storing the seized Jet Skis long term, give the rider 30 days to pay the fine or the vessel is forfeited to the Crown (scrapped or sold at auction).
  • Unfortunately there have been instances of NSW Maritime officers being verbally abused – and in at least one instance, physically assaulted – by rogue Jet Ski riders.
  • Consider equipping NSW Maritime and NSW Police with waterproof body-worn cameras so they can document interactions with Jet Ski riders and boaties.
  • Improve the ‘no-wake zone’ signage and ‘four-knot’ signage in key areas near boat ramps. Many of the current signs are faded, obscured, or too small.
  • Make it easier for the public to send video to authorities (perhaps via a web portal) of Jet Ski operators riding dangerously.
  • Please don’t price families out of the sport. The water is there to share. It shouldn’t be reserved for the rich.
  • Thanks for reading this far.

MORE: Jet Ski death and injury stats at odds with logic behind licence fee increases
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