Oh Crap - I hope he doesn't spear me, for that post I made all those years ago.

With considerable experience in these issues working for both government and non-govt organisations, I am concerned that the steps to get to where the debate is at now are completely inconsistent with established government practice and much greater consultation is needed.

There is very little precedent for the creation of legislation, regulations or guidelines in Victoria (or any other state) that have been developed with the input of only one party - in this case Surfing Vic. All the other water/ocean based sports are also subject to a range of guidelines and relatively strict regulations eg recreational fishing or recreational boating, and all require that consultative processes are undertaken - that consultation has to be much broader than just talking with VRFish or the Boating Industry Association. In this case, I respect the job that has been done to advocate for sup, but can;t help think that there is something inherently strange about the process if TSV have only been talking to Surfing Vic and not holding any consultation sessions, workshops etc with SUPers at hotspot locations like Melbourne, Torquay, Mornington Peninsula, PIsland etc etc. And that makes me question its legitimacy.

I agree that central advocacy is required from a peak group, but there really needs to be a broader consultation with all SUPers - that way those purporting to "represent" SUP will actually have a mandate to press those views in any process seeking to regulate SUP and get the best deal for all SUPers, and not just those who go in comps or read the breeze. SUP is bigger than all of us, and to have real impact, SUP advocates need to harness that.