Waterways body needs to oversee our precious asset

MY vision is for the Broadwater to be to the Gold Coast what the harbour is to Sydney.

Few places in the world boast a sheltered body of water that is the gateway to a unique collection of environmentally special islands.

But the Broadwater needs our help. Generations of do-gooders have convinced authorities that dredging should be the exception not the norm, that the interaction between boating, swimming and fishing is too difficult to manage, and that houseboats are able to do as they please.

No one will begrudge the freedom or the business opportunity that houseboats can provide people on the Gold Coast.

But rules are in place for a reason. Rules like not staying in one spot indefinitely, like the need for a boat to be seaworthy and insured, and the need to capture and dispose properly of effluent.

In many cases this is not occurring. If this kind of environmental vandalism was happening on the mainland there would be outrage. But somehow our authorities turn a blind eye to it occurring in our greatest asset.

So what needs to occur? First is more resources. For the Gold Coast to have just 14 water police (this number is almost static over the past two decades while boating numbers have exploded) means the long arm of the law gets a little shorter each year.

The budget of the Gold Coast Waterways Authority is barely $20 million, and only a small portion of this goes towards dredging and policing.

But primarily it is about responsibility.

There are a myriad of government agencies all responsible for small parts of the Broadwater. Most of these powers need to be handed to the Waterways Authority and create a single point of accountability.

It is only through accountability that action will occur.

At the moment there are simply too many cooks and the broth is resembling the water quality under many of these houseboats.