BIA meets NSW government about boating fees

The Boating Industry Association (BIA) in Australia has met with the New South Wales (NSW) government to directly raise concerns over planned increases to boating fees.

BIA spokesperson Neil Patchett says the opportunity to meet with key representatives of the NSW government was appreciated and timely.

“BIA has had a positive and productive relationship with Transport for NSW and we want it to stay that way,” Patchett says.

“Most of the fee increases are based around CPI [consumer price index] but that is not the main issue; the problem is a number of fees have skyrocketed well above CPI, some are up more than 80 per cent and largely aimed at PWC [personal watercraft].”

The fee increase includes an extraordinary $900 more for a personal watercraft which would now cost $1961, the association reported in May.

Patchett says the BIA has received messages of alarm from both industry and the public over the high fees planned for PWC and added that it was good to have the Personal Watercraft Distributor Association representative Alex Borduas of BRP join the meeting to reinforce the concerns of brands such as Seadoo, Kawasaki and Yamaha.

Borduas says: “We feel the PWC industry is being singled out unfairly for substantially different licence fee increases. We hope Transport for NSW heard our concerns and will respond accordingly.”

BIA has written formally to the minister with a plan to ease industry and public concern, and is awaiting a response.