John Minihan (Progressive Democrats)

I, too, join previous speakers in welcoming the Minister to the House and welcoming this legislation. I have an interest in this issue. In January of this year I wrote to the Secretary General of the Department regarding my concerns about safety on water, particularly in the area of powerboats. I am pleased that the response to my letter may be in the form of a Bill, considering that I did not get an official response. I am hoping this Bill is my reply. If it is, I am very happy with it.

I also echo the phrase coined by Tom McSweeney that we are an island nation. Indeed we are, and there is an enormous onus and responsibility on us to ensure that we have proper legislation and that we achieve a right balance between safety and regulation in the use of our waterways. Many of the fishermen who harvested the seas around our coast were unable to swim but they had their own in-built safety mechanisms.

In recent years there has been a huge increase in the use of pleasure craft and, like Senator O'Toole, I declare that I own a pleasure craft, a powerboat, which I operate off the west coast. I have observed an increase in this activity, some of which is quite disturbing and needs to be regulated. I compliment the voluntary contribution of those providing lifeboats and coastguards that marshal and police our waters in the interests of safety.