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14 Oct 2016 Cairns Post, Cairns

Author: Jim Campbell •Section: General News• Article type: News Item Classification: Regional· Audience: 16,636 •Page: 4 •Printed Size: 376.00cm2

Market: OLD· Country: Australia· ASR: AUD 1,672 •Words: 305 ·Item ID: 671460144

~isentia.med iaportal

Licensed by Copyrig ht Agency. You may on ly copy or communicate this work with a licence. Page 1 of 2

Boats blitz launched New laws to tackle dumping

JIM CAMPBELL jim.campbell@news.com .au

THE State Government has vowed to crack down on lazy boat owners who dump their vessels in Trinity Inlet with a new three-pronged approach.

Ports Minister Mark Bailey announced the three-tiered strategy after a Cairns Post in­vestigation revealed the uphill battle authorities faced in cleaning up the fleet of more than 50 abandoned and derel­ict boats in Trinity Inlet.

This newspaper is leading a campaign for the government and Maritime Safety Queens­land to crack down on irres­ponsible owners and have the vessels removed from the cru­cial marine breeding ground.

Mr Bailey has responded with the new plan.

"We are implementing a three-tiered strategy to ad­dress this issue," he said this week.

Mr Bailey said the strategy included proactively identify­ing vessels that had been con­firmed to have been

abandoned and seek funding options for their removal, warning owners of potential court costs for failing to re­move their vessels and imple­menting stronger education and compliance programs.

Under current legislation MSQ can direct owners to re-

move vessels that pose a "haz­ard to navigation or a pollution threat" - and penalties can be applied if owners fail to comply - but officers do not have the power to issue fines.

But Mr Bailey has been looking at tough new laws to crack down on the slack own-

ers who leave their boats to rust and rot in waterways.

"The owner has responsibil­ity for their vessel and we take every effort to trace owners and ensure they deal with their vessel ," he said, adding there had been two recent cases where MSQ worked with own-

ers to remove vessels in poor condition before they became derelict.

Our Say P32.

@ editorial@cairnspost.com.au {? facebook.com/TheCairnsPost @) www .cairnspost.com.au SJtwitter.com/TheCairnsPost

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140ct2016 Cairns Post, Cairns

Section: General News• Article type : News Item •Classification : Regional Audience : 16,636 •Page: 4 •Printed Size: 58.00cm 2 •Market: OLD• Country: Australia ASR: AUD 258 •Words: 113 •Item ID: 671460130

, ~isentia.mediaportal Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.

Ports Minister Mark Bailey has announced a new three-tiered strategy to address the abandoned boats issue. • Identify vessels where efforts to locate the owner or induce them to remove the vessel have been unsuccessful and consider funding options for their removal. • Where owners are located. advise them of the potential court costs for fa iling to remove their vessels. • Implement education and compliance programs to ensure boat owners know their responsibilities.

Under current legislation MSQ can direct owners to remove vessels that pose a "hazard to navigation or a pollution threat" - and penalties can be applied if owners fail to comply - but officers do not have the power to issue fines.

Page 1 of 1

Stanley

/~~v \~ J 'l',. ~ An important dr inking water suµply catchment with excellent ~tream health. High communily salisfa:: lion.

Upper Brisbane

® ·1·,,·:r,":.r ,f'?-tJ An important_ d r inking _water supply catchment with very high recreational benefits and moderate cornmunity satisfaction. Very poo r r iparian r?x lent and ve ry poor stream health.

Mid Brisbane

An important d rinki ng wate r supply catchment. Moderate community satisfac tion. Poor ripanan extent and very poor stream health.

Lockyer

Mcderate recreational benefit s. which are under pressure from poor riparian ex tent. poor estua r ine watN quality and vefy poor estuarine hab ilat.

Albert

c ~>. ,.. ~ ~·:t \;-:; t~r f:J High recrea tional benefits and moderate community satisfaction. '.""hich are under pressure from poor rip arian extent and poor estuarine water quality.

Pimpama/Coornera

~ 1.' ·1.'. '..~:r ':fr{)

~~~~;~~~es~~~;~:~~h~~Yb~i~~fi6,01(~~~~tis loads.

Tal lebudgera/Currumbin

High recreational benefits , which are under pressure from very high pollutant loads and poor estuar ine h abita t.

REPORT CARD

f'Joosa

~~y '·~ I he community rate their ability to use. and satisfaction with. the waterways very highly. Excellent freshwater r ipanan and estua r ine habitats .

Maroochy -­

@ · ~~ {'/ 'i.~r ·;.t 11:! Very high recre.:itional ben~ f i ts. which are under pressure from ve ry high pollutant loads.

Upper Brisbane Catchment

Waterway name Environmental Condition GradE!

.l )~· {r {j-{:] _ Waterway Benefits Rating

Catchment Text - Benefits and condition key message

Mooloolah

~ 1'7{•.-,. < D Very high ::ommunity satisfaction and high recreational fish ing benefit. which is under p ressure from poor estuarine habitat.

Pumicestone Passage

f(..=-·;1 ":.J ·-:.:t <f:· \.J ·t J> Exce llent recreationa l f ishing b enefit. w hich is under pressure from very high catchment pollutant loads.

Caboolture

~ t J (y r{_] «: ]{;] High recreat iona l fis_hing ~enef1t and high community sat1sfact1on. Very high pollutant loads but good ripar ian extent.

Excellent w ater qua lity which is under pressure from pollutant loads and an expanding mud patch.

Lower Brisbane

· ~:, ·(" • t <Jrtr(:S Hiah recreational benefits which are under prf.!ssure _from ve~y high urban pollutant lo.1ds. Fair estuarine water qu~hty and poor estuarine habitat.

Redlands

~' {~' ~ .. { { ? tt? '(::{ High recreational fis h i~19 benefit which is under pressure from high pollutant loads.

Exce llent habitat supporting regional fisheries . The poorest water quality in Southern Bay is in the western channe ls.

Excellent mangrove and seagrass habitats and excc:llent wa ter quality are supporting local f isheries. but are under pressure from catchment pol lutant loa ds.

Ne rang /;,~ ' ~ d,. ./'-. ~ 1, . .. ;.,..~ ~ ._1 I J J..-.!

High r~creationa l be0efits and _excellent estuarin e water quality. Very high pollutant loads and lack of estuarine habitat threaten existi ng benefits.

17/10/2016 PROPOSAL FOR 1 MILLION CUBIC METRES OF DREDGING OFF CAIRNS PLACES ... · News· Australian Marine Conservation Society

Tue 2 1 June 2016

0 0

The Queensland Government has today announced a revised project involving 1 million cubic metres of dredging at Trinity Inlet near Cairns, despite the Great Barrier Reef being under pressure from coral bleaching, poor water quality and other industrial development.

Imogen Zethoven, Australian Marine Conservation Society Great Barrier Reef Campaign Director, said the d~edgfilg prop.osai Ts to allow~.m1a~to-farg_e la!~e ~ega_ cruis~ ships and -o-tlier lar ger ships to dock directly into Cairns. --

. - - - ·--- - ~._..... ~--·- ...... - ~ •.... - - --- ,~ ... -~ _ ___...,.. ,... ~ ----·---- ---- -

"The local tourism industry can still thrive without expanding dredging in Trinity Inlet, which would further degrade the poor water quality around the Cairns region," Ms Zethoven said.

"While the revised project reduces the dredge volume by three quarters as a result of public pressure, the fact remains it can be better managed without the need for dredging in the sensitive inshore environment.

"There are already regular visits by cruise ships to Cairns. Those that cannot enter the Inlet are readily accommodated via offshore anchorage and small boat transfer at Yorkey's Knob.

"Whether a cruise ship docks in a port or anchors offshore and transfers passengers by smaller boats to land actually makes little difference to the number of people disembarking and coming to explore Cairns and its surrounds.

"There are already approximately 350,000 cubic metres di:edged from Trinity Inlet every ye;;·to··~ai~t;-~ th~ -<l;pth-~~f ·th~-~han;;~i~~i;;;-~~~it~l <lredgi~-g ~i1 ~~suit fil-e\Teil -·illar-e -maintenanc~<lgiiig ancfev~ii~~;~ -pressure on nearby reefs.

http://www.marineconservation.org.au/news.php/821/proposal-for-1 -mill ion-cubic-metres-of-dredging-off-cairns-places-pressure-on-great-barrier-reef-amc 1/2

17/10/2016 PROPOSAL FOR 1 MILLION CUBIC METRES OF DREDGING OFF CAIRNS PLACES ... · News· Australian Marine Conservation Society

"Dredging the inlet for large sized cruise ships would result in serious damage to the environment - a healthy Reef is the reason for a thriving tourism industry in the region in the first place.

"The Reef is at a cross-roads and water quality scientists warn us that the next five years will be critical in determining whether it survives and thrives or falls into terminal decline.

"The solution is already at hand: maintain offshore loading by cruise ships and work together to improve water quality through new regulations, incentives and water quality monitoring," she said.

Imogen Zethoven is available for interview.

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http://www.marineconservation.org.au/news.php/821/proposal-for-1-million-cubic-metres-of-dredging-off-cairns-places-pressure-on-great-barrier-reef-amc 2/2