Question - Surf Life Saving Tasmania Funding

Thursday 4 December 2025 Ms ARMITAGE question to MINISTER for SPORT, Mr DUIGAN

[2.45 p.m.]

With regard to Surf Life Saving Tasmania, can you please advise:

(1)          whether funding of $250,000, which I believe was originally allocated to surf life saving clubs Tamar Sea Rescue, Wynyard and Kingborough, was recently redirected to other rescue groups? If so, which rescue groups are now receiving this funding?

(2)          why was the decision made?

(3)          how does the government intend to assist Tamar Sea Rescue, the Wynyard and Kingborough surf life saving clubs to keep their equipment up to date?

ANSWER

Mr President, I thank the member for the question. There's a bit of history and context around this. Following the decision by four of the state's volunteer marine rescue (VMR) units to establish themselves under a newly created organisation known as Volunteer Marine Rescue Tasmania (VMRT), the government has reviewed the way funding is distributed to these organisations. The new structure means that units from Freycinet, St Helens, Sea Rescue Tasmania and Ulverstone come under the newly created VMRT body, while the remaining three VMR units - Kingborough, Wynyard and Tamar - remain affiliated to Surf Life Saving Tasmania.

The government is committed to supporting VMRs in Tasmania, but it is important clubs meet clearly defined governance criteria and the funding remains equitable. We are developing a model to use existing funding to support VMRT for an additional three years. As a result, the remaining $250,000 from a capital funding commitment originally allocated for volunteer marine rescue vehicle and vessel purchases will be repurposed to fund VMRT operations for the next three years. This approach ensures operational funding for Surf Life Saving Tasmania remains unaffected.

Under the existing grant deed KPIs with Surf Life Saving Tasmania, the organisation is required to provide funding of $20,000 per year per VMR unit. With seven VMRs, this would have equated to $140,000 annually. Under the new structure, this means $80,000 of this funding would sit with VMRT. It's important to remember that Surf Life Saving Tasmania has had an increase in its operational funding from $650,000 to $850,000 annually. For 2025‑26, Surf Life Saving Tasmania will receive $1.35 million.

Surf Life Saving Tasmania will certainly not be worse off under these changes. I met representatives from Surf Life Saving Tasmania last week to discuss the repurposing of funding and reiterated the government's commitment to their important work. I understand they've had recent further discussions with Active Tasmania as they finalise the grant deed which will set out those KPIs for coming years. Essentially, there are now a split number of VMRs; the seven VMRs remain. There is a global pot of money needed to fund them all.