Turnbull fined for not wearing life-jacket on boat

Sydney Dec 29 (IANS) Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was fined on Friday for not wearing a life-jacket while steering his inflatable dinghy near his residence on the Sydney Harbour.

The Prime Minister was photographed at the helm of the motorised dinghy on Wednesday. He was wearing a T-shirt but no life-jacket a breach of New South Wales (NSW) state maritime regulations reports the Guardian.

Turnbull said he was only moving the boat 20 metres between a jetty and the beach next to the his house.

NSW Maritime Services investigated the incident and on Friday delivered a A$250 fine. A spokesman for Turnbull said the fine would be paid.

In response the Prime Minister said on a Facebook post: "The rules can often seem very technical but they are there to keep us safe and we should all comply with them.

"So lesson learned; I will make sure I always wear a life jacket in my dinghy regardless of how close I am to the shore just as I always do on my kayak."

Angus Mitchell executive director of NSW Maritime said the incident was a "timely reminder" of the need for safety on the water the Guardian reported.

On December 22 a 73-year-old man died and two others were rescued after their vessel capsized in the seas off Kurnell in Sydney s south.

The police said the the three men were "caught out by the waves" and were not believed to be wearing life-jackets.

--IANS
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