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United front: Angry members of the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard, Volunteer Marine Rescue Victoria and Southern Peninsula Rescue off Mornington. A lack of money has left them high and dry. Picture: Yanni
No budget lifeline for bay rescue groups Stephen Taylor steve@baysidenews.com.au VOLUNTEER groups which play a huge role in rescuing those in distress on Port Phillip and Western Port bays are “bewildered” at being overlooked in last month’s state budget. The 26 marine search-and-rescue units in Victoria, include the Victorian flotillas of the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard, Volunteer Marine Rescue Victoria and Southern Peninsula
Rescue Squad. They say they are the only emergency service providers not to receive regular government funding and are unable to work to a budget. A Coast Guard vessel is based at Carrum, Safety Beach, the VMR at Mornington and the Southern Peninsula Rescue Squad at Blairgowrie. Their rescue work takes them into both bays. The Coast Guard’s national public relations captain Deanne Semmens said the went on strike in February
2016 to “draw attention to our plight and save marine search and rescue in the state from going down the gurgler”. “Now all marine units in Victoria are standing shoulder to shoulder to fix this problem,” Ms Semmens said. “The problem is that we are small and easily overlooked.” The volunteer units – which rely on public donations and the occasional government grant – are after a minimum $5 million in recurrent funding “just to survive”.
“Considering the boating community contributes around $4.5 billion to the Victorian economy annually why can’t we get the $5 million we need to provide them with the best marine emergency service possible,” Ms Semmens said. “We need this and the boating community deserve nothing less. “We need adequate funding and we need to be sustainable. It’s like [the government has] forgotten us.” Emergency services minister James Merlino said the government “greatly
values” the work of marine search and rescue volunteers. He said they “selflessly devote their time and skills to promote the safety and wellbeing of the community”. “In the past 12 months, Emergency Management Victoria has undertaken significant work within the marine search-and-rescue sector. EMV is working with the government to identify funding sources so that [the volunteer organisations] can operate on a sustainable basis.” Continued Page 7
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