Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently visited Whitfords Volunteer Sea Rescue Group at their headquarters at the Ocean Reef Marina. Whitfords Volunteer Sea Rescue Group is one of three volunteer groups, together with Sea Search Fremantle and Cockburn Volunteer Sea Search and Rescue, that are contracted to provide first-responder rescue services off the coast of the greater Perth area. With almost 100 members, the group is the largest and one of the busiest volunteer sea rescue groups in WA, performing approximately 300 rescues each year. Of those members, not one is in a paid position, yet they undertake regular weekend duties and are often on call.

The volunteers of the group perform their duties as crew on the boats, radio operators, support and administration personnel as well as trainers. Apart from their core task of being first responders for rescue, in a related task they also keep track of boats that have logged on with them to check that they all return as planned. This task keeps the radio operators in their operations centre very busy. The Whitfords Volunteer Sea Rescue Group also conducts training courses including the obligatory recreational skippers licence and coastal navigation courses.

The Whitfords Volunteer Sea Rescue Group is something of an institution in the northern suburbs of Perth. Many a boat owner has come to appreciate their dedicated service to the community, and I know they are highly regarded. It was recently reported that there was almost a 50 per cent increase in the number of call-outs for the Whitfords Volunteer Sea Rescue Group during the first part of the summer boat season. This demonstrates the need for a professional and highly effective rescue service, and this is provided in the northern suburbs by the Whitfords sea rescue group.

These increases in call-outs also underline the need for such services to be sought only in true emergency situations and never as a hoax. Unfortunately, Scott Bradley Pike, a hoax caller in October 2009, cost the general community and sea rescue services a great deal of time, effort and money by pretending to be a boat owner in distress. He was found by the police and in January he was sentenced to six months jail and a fine of over $50,000. This will be a warning to those who may be tempted in the future to endanger lives and waste resources by diverting emergency services from their duties when there is no emergency.

The Whitfords group is run on a very tight budget, receiving some funding from the state government, but it also generates revenue for operating expenses from the conduct of sausage sizzles, the sale of radio call sign memberships and other activities such as running training courses. It should be remembered that the fuel for the boats and other overheads have to be paid for out of the funding grant and these sorts of fundraisers.

In my visit I met the commander, Geoff Sparrow; Joss Dwyer, the OIC of Operations; and a number of the volunteers. I would also particularly like to thank Roger Howell for organising my visit and a demonstration on one of the boats. The Whitfords Volunteer Sea Rescue Group is a highly dedicated and committed team. On behalf of my constituents I thank them and I honour them for the great job they do.