By Marcus Uhe
The Future of the North and South Jetties at Warneet are becoming clearer following a Labor Party election commitment on Saturday 5 November.
Bass MP Jordan Crugnale was joined by Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan in Warneet on Saturday to announce a $9.5 million commitment to rebuild both jetties as part of a suite of upgrades for boating and fishing infrastructure in Bass.
$1.8 million and $2.6 million will also be invested to upgrade boat ramps and car parks at Lang Lang and Tooradin, respectively, as part of the Better Boating Fund.
“A re-elected Labor Government will continue to back our state’s anglers and boaties – upgrading boat ramps, jetties and piers across Bass,” Ms Crugnale said.
The North Jetty was closed and a section of the South Jetty was removed in June 2020, before the South jetty was completely shut in September 2022, all due to safety concerns.
The issue has been the subject of fierce advocacy from locals, who formed the Save the Warneet Jetties Working Group, which included members of the Warneet Motor Yacht Club and the Warneet Foreshore Committee of Management.
Alex Stroud, Commodore of the Warneet Motor Yacht Club along with the Save the Warneet Jetties Working Group, said they welcomed the announcement and appreciated that their voices were bring acknowledged.
“We thank Jordan and greatly appreciate all the work she has done on this especially for hearing our concerns for over two years and making the effort to understand the issue from her constituents’ perspective,” they said.
“We note that there is a desire to get this project completed as soon as possible.”
Mr Stroud and the working group however did acknowledge that there were hurdles to clear before the development could begin.
“We appreciate that even with the very best intent of all involved it could be years before the North and South Jetties are re-built but look forward to receiving more specifics on timescales when that information becomes available.
“In conclusion, we are delighted to be a step closer to having the jetties open again, but a lot needs to happen between now and then, not least of which is a Labor victory in the upcoming election.”
The jetties are the responsibility of Parks Victoria.
Better Boating Victoria are currently in the process of designing the Warneet Boating Precinct Plan, expected to be available for public release in 2022.
Independent candidate for Bass Jeni Jobe says she would advocate for the maintenance and responsibility of jetty infrastructure to be a matter for Better Boating Victoria as opposed to Parks Victoria.
Liberal candidate for Bass Aaron Brown said in October that he was attempting to secure $500,000 in funding from the party to repair the North Jetty, based on quotes received from the Foreshore Committee of Management.
Nationals candidate Brett Tassari said he is also advocating for the jetties to be repaired and reopened.
