With Australia Day just around the corner, many people will be hitting our region’s waterways to spend a day on the Murray River or on one of our many lakes.
Concerns remain about waterway safety and the differing approaches adopted by the NSW and Victorian authorities based on location.
While the laws around drink driving on waterways are similar to those for roads, they can vary depending on border jurisdiction; the Murray River is subject to NSW authority while the Swan Hill region’s lakes are under Victorian jurisdiction.
Sergeant Roberta Barry of Swan Hill Police said they manage inland waterways similar to roads.
“If police are aware of drink drivers on inland waterways, we get the vessel to pull over on the bank and ask them to take a breath test, just as we would with a vehicle,” she said.
“If people suspect a driver of another vessel of breaking the law, they must contact 000 immediately.”
Inland waterway incidents that must be reported to police include loss or theft of vessel, collision, grounding or sinking, fire on a vessel and person overboard.
People must provide to police the vessel owner’s name, address, registration details, along with any details of the incident.
To read more about this story, grab a copy of Wednesday’s Guardian (January 18).
