Despite a letter outlining safety concerns written by the Naturaliste Volunteer Marine Rescue Group in 2015, vice commander Paul Bresland said Environment Minister Stephen Dawson’s comments about the group’s concerns were misleading.
Mr Bresland said NVMR were approached by the City of Busselton to investigate how they could improve response times to and from the West Coast and suggested upgrading the jetty at Canal Rocks.
“The problem was, Canal Rocks is not controlled by the City of Busselton, it is run by the DBCA,” he said.
“NVMR suggested making it longer in order for their 30 foot rescue vessel to be tied off in deeper water during the transfer of casualties.”
The last reported injury at the Canal Rocks boat ramp occurred in March 2007, it was deemed “minor,” prior to that there was another “minor” incident in 2003.
Mr Dawson said in parliament last month that the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions had recorded a further six accidents.
The minister also said there was another reported injury which involved a “trip” in a car park, but that occurred at the Hamelin Bay boat ramp in March 2013.
No fatalities have ever been reported to the DBCA.
A feasibility study investigating safety issues at the boat ramp, commissioned by the former government, found the facility presented a risk to safety 90 per cent of the time, according to Mr Dawson.
He said the government’s insurer RiskCover advised DBCA there “appears” to be a risk of serious injury to users and would move to exclude all claims and liability arising from the boat ramp.
Mr Dawson’s office declined to comment on the statement made by the NVMR, instead sending a copy of the letter written by the NVMR in April 2015.
The letter stated there were too many incidents to mention where people had been injured. It also said using the boat ramp at Old Dunsborough in emergencies could be the difference of life and death when conditions made it unsafe at the Canal Rocks boat ramp.
Vasse MP Libby Mettam said people understood the boat ramp was not always safe, but closing it would put pressure on other ramps and sea rescues.
She said it would set a dangerous precedent if the minister shut the ramp, because it did not meet Australian Standards for a Marina, which was a flawed argument.
