By Brielle Burns
Copyright news
Malcolm Barry, who operates Play Hard Jet Ski Hire with his wife Natasha, has applied for a licence with the state government to operate guided tours at Wollongong’s popular Lake Illawarra.
The controversial proposal comes after his application to operate his business in Sydney’s Port Botany was denied as it was considered too dangerous to use jet skis in the area, A Current Affairreports.
Tempers flared when Mr Barry gatecrashed a recent protest organised by locals who voiced concerns over noise and disturbance to wildlife in the area.
“You are not wanted here,” one resident told Mr Barry at the protest, attended by up to 30 locals.
“One person on a jet ski diminishes the amenity for the other 99 – why are we catering to the one per cent?” another argued.
“It is just another useless human activity invented purely for the entertainment of human beings,” said another.
When Mr Barry tried to hit back, claiming he was simply trying “to help my family to get out of poverty,” he wasn’t met with sympathetic ears.
“Boohoo,” one local responded as others groaned.
“How about you take my kids and support them for the rest of my lives,” he argued.
“That’s emotional blackmail,” one resident hit back.
“No it’s not, it’s the truth,” said Mr Barry.
Protesters also called into question the accuracy of reports used to justify the proposal. Mr Barry claimed residents have not read them.
Under the proposal, Mr Barry would be allowed to run multiple tours a day with up to five jet skis at a time, according to A Current Affair.
He claims the jet skis would only travel 8km/h near the shore. Jet ski riders would then be able to travel at 55 km/h on the open body of the lake, a report states.
“Once they get out there, they’re going to be fanging it,” a resident claimed.
Another expressed concern jet skis could wipe out stand-up paddlers on the lake.
“I’m concerned about deaths, actually, not just people capsizing,” said a member of the Illawarra Dragon Boat Club, which has operated on the lake for decades.
Despite the outcry from dozens of locals, Mr Barry claimed “more people are interested in having us here than not”.
He had earlier tried to launch his business in Botany Bay, offering a three-hour jet ski experience from Botany to Bondi.
“This is a quieter waterway,” Mr Barry explained. “(There were) too many non-compliant riders of people doing the wrong thing, so that is why it was recommended to come down here.”
Transport for NSW told A Current Affair: “They did make an application to operate at Port Botany and that application was refused as the waterway was deemed unsuitable.”Mr Barry’s application is currently under review.