It’s great to see the government investing $19 Million in the South West, Premier Dan Andrews said the funded projects were selected because they were shovel ready.
What about the Harbour?
In May 2019 the Victorian Government said it was working with Warrnambool City Council to upgrade the Warrnambool Harbour, giving recreational fishers and boaters in south-west Victoria the facilities they deserve. $420,000 in funding was made available to start planning and design work to upgrade the boat launching facility at Warrnambool’s Lady Bay. The funding was for the Warrnambool City Council to prepare the business case, detailed design, planning and approvals for an upgraded Warrnambool boat ramp. In September 2019 Warrnambool City Council awarded the tender to AW Maritime for $381,742.90 including GST.
Now some eight months later are we any further advanced? In March 2019, the Warrnambool boat ramp was named as Victoria’s worst in an RACV boat ramp survey.
Have we just missed another golden opportunity to obtain funding for this much needed project? As our City recovers from the effects brought around by the COVID-19 crisis the income from the fishing industry (if we had a safer harbour) would be an enormous boost to our economy.
Warrnambool City Council how long do we have to wait?