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Anglers Left High & Dry

Recreational anglers who purchased their fishing licence online may now find themselves up the creek or all at sea without a licence.

By Russell Northe - 3rd August 2009 - Back to News

Member for Morwell Russell Northe said local anglers who took advantage of the opportunity to buy a three-year recreational fishing licence online in April 2006 have found their licences have expired yet the promised reminder notice never sent to them.

"Anglers have reported feeling embarrassed at being caught fishing with an expired licence by Fisheries inspectors," Mr Northe said today.

"In 2006 the then Minister for Agriculture Bob Cameron promised that people buying a three‑year fishing licence online would ‘receive a reminder notice shortly before their licence is due to expire’."

The Nationals MP said the state government has failed to deliver these promised reminder notices, leaving many anglers who purchased three year online licences in April, May and June 2006, fishing without a valid licence.

Allways Angling proprietor Will Thompson confirmed that a number of his customers had discovered they were unknowingly fishing on expired licences.

Mr Northe said that the Department was now aware of this problem and was sending out thousands of overdue reminder notices across Victoria.

"However, it is also essential that the State Government reviews all fines and penalties issued in recent weeks for fishing without a valid licence to ensure that anglers caught by this online licence renewal bungle are not disadvantaged."

Mr Northe said the blunder should be a wake-up call for the state government to make sure it kept its promises when moving to online services.

"It is also a timely reminder to all holders of recreational fishing licences to regularly check that their licences are valid and up-to-date," he said.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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