Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery says greater education on rock fishing safety is needed

Cr Bradbery plans to move a motion at next Monday's council meeting.

It includes that council support the compulsory wearing of appropriately certified lifejackets for rock fishers at high-risk rock fishing locations.

Read more: Wollongong's Deputy Lord Mayor Tania Brown calls for action on Hill 60 safety

The recommendation also includes council calling on the NSW Government to be the sole regulator and enforcement agency for the wearing of appropriately certified lifejackets under the Rock Fishing Safety Act 2016.

"The state government need to do it, because the problem is across LGA boundaries," Cr Bradbery said. "That is people coming from out of our city... Who have not been familiar with dealing with the ocean and its difficulties, and especially rock platforms.

"It really does need to be managed by the state, and especially the enforcement of wearing lifejackets."

The Mayor also said the focus of recent rock fishing tragedies is not on council land, but land controlled by Sydney Water.

"The state also controls land up to the high-water mark," he said.

"Council rangers have enough compliance issues to deal with. Enforcing the wearing of lifejackets when rock fishing would impose another level of responsibility and burden that council would need to finance and resource."

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The recommendation also includes council calling on the NSW Government to implement an educational and awareness raising campaign, especially through culturally and linguistically diverse media and associated communities, on the dangers of rock fishing.

In addition to this, council would also request the government develop consistent signage and symbols that can be displayed at high-risk rock fishing locations.

"It happens all up and down the coast, so it's not just Wollongong," Cr Bradbery said.

"It needs to be consistent signage. It needs to be an educational program for the people who travel to the coast from parts of the state where they're not familiar with the coastline and the behaviour of the ocean."

As previously reported, Deputy Lord Mayor Tania Brown will formally call on council to review safety at Hill 60's rock platform, following the recent deaths of five men at the site.

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