In late April the paddling community was hit with a bombshell that the Federal Government intended doing a backflip and introducing hefty levies on canoes and kayaks within the Domestic Commercial Vessel Safety realm. This would have a devastating effect on commercial operators nationwide.
The commercial operators, plus peak governing bodies Australian Canoeing, PaddleNSW and our state counterparts around Australia were prompt to respond with industry and regulator lobbying.
Such lobbying and consultation immediately raised a number of issues in the proposed application of the levy to the unpowered hire-and-drive sector of domestic commercial vessels. The Government considered these issues and decided that the unpowered hire-and-drive sector (such as canoes and kayaks) will be exempted from the levy for the national system.