This is may well be the most important article you ever read from the WAKSA crew.

As WA kiters you have one week to assist WAKSA in its campaign to influence the City of Joondalup and the Draft Beach Management Plan. We need your assistance now – if our campaign is not successful we may be the facing serious kiting restrictions in Perth, and throughout WA, in the very near future.

As part of our campaign we have met with the Mayor to express our significant concerns about the Draft Plan. We are also planning to meet with individual Councillors to discuss and explain what we believe are serious flaws in the Draft Plan and to encourage the City not to resort to designated kite zones as a management tool.

We advocated to the Mayor that the designated kite zones as outlined in the Draft Plan are the least safe and the least appropriate option for the management of kiting generally and that we have specific reservations about the location of the designated zone for North Mullaloo. We explained that whilst WAKSA does not object in principle to the proposed exclusion zones around the Mullaloo and Sorrento surf clubs the Association believes that smaller exclusion zones would be our preferred outcome. We explained that rather than having designated ‘kite zones’, it is our preference to have kite exclusion zones – for example, no kiting in or near flagged swimming zones. The formal WAKSA submission to the City of Joondalup will clearly outline these ideas.

In order to gauge what support there is for the Draft Plan, the City has launched an online survey (see the link below). We must get all kiters; their families, friends & work mates who reside within the City’s jurisdiction to respond to that survey – it is critical. We encourage all kiters to complete the online survey, but responses from residents and ratepayers from the City of Joondalup will be given more consideration than any others.

As part of the campaign, WAKSA has arranged for a leaflet drop to 7000 households throughout Mullaloo and surrounding suburbs. The leaflet outlines our case for sensible planning, provides advice to local residents on how they can support our campaign and encourages them to get online and complete the survey before the closing date. Hopefully local residents will hear our message, (focussing on improving the safety aspects of the Draft Plan) and the exercise will boost local support.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Whilst WAKSA has, and will continue to make strong representations on behalf of kiters living in the City of Joondalup this campaign is a numbers game. The group with the largest number of people expressing a common opinion is likely to win the issue, and win the day. The anti-kiting forces are well organised and have been vocal in their representations. The word is that they are continuing to push for a complete ban of kiting on Mullaloo Beach. It is not unreasonable to believe that they have recruited more supporters than we have on hand, so ALL kiters must rally any families and friends that live in the City to help keep Mullaloo open and to give us the influence we need to be included in the forward planning for the whole coastal zone.

WAKSA has approximately 140 members living in the Joondalup area –we need all of you to get active!!! Throughout the state we have a great deal more members and subscribers receiving this notice. We implore all of you to send in your own online survey responses and to forward this email to family members; friends and any other residents in the City of Joondalup you know who you believe may support our campaign. See the link to the survey below and please follow our advice when completing it wherever you feel it is appropriate. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to comment on the other issues raised in the Draft Plan, it’s Part 12 – Kitesurfing that is the part most concerning for all of us. Please consider our point of view when selecting your answers -

ITEM 12 KITESURFING:

I would feel safer if Kitesurfers were required to remain within designated areas on the beach.

As a kiter you will know that designated kite zones are the least safe & least appropriate means of managing kitesurfing effectively. We had to explain our concerns about this in the flyer to the residents but we simply encourage you to strongly disagree with this question.

If designated areas were provided for Kitesurfers, I would have no objection to these areas being located at:
a. North Mullaloo
b. Pinnaroo Point

Given our serious reservations about designated zones these two questions become a total nonsense. But we have been led to believe that the interpretation the council is putting on this question could have it reading :- 

“If kitesurfing was managed safely and appropriately I would have no objection to kiting occurring in safe areas of  
a) North Mullaloo  
b) Pinnaroo Pt.

On that basis, obviously, we would ask you to answer strongly agree to both. WAKSA will follow up with explaining that answering this way cannot be interpreted as a vote for designated zones. I would support kite surfing exclusion zones in the water in front of: Mullaloo Surf Life Saving Club Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club WAKSA policy is to negotiate ‘sensible’ exclusion zones in those areas we know kiters should not go. In our submission to the City we will explain our preferred position but encourage everyone to agree to both of these exclusion zones.

PART 14 - HERE'S WHERE IT COUNTS!!!!

Despite the fact that neither the proposed plan nor the survey mentions an outright kite surfing bans we know that the ‘concerned residents’ will be using this space to demand that kiting be banned along the entire length of Mullaloo Beach. We must rally numbers to oppose this push. Please ensure that everyone you ask to participate in the survey understands the essential message we want to get across is: “I would not support any move by the City of Joondalup to ban kite surfing on Mullaloo Beach” Beyond that one point to counter the total ban argument consider these points for the draft in plan in general:

1) With nearly 17 kilometres of beach front restricting kiting to 2 designated areas of only 700M is totally unreasonable and unrealistic;
2) The designated kite surfing zone upwind & adjacent to a swimming area (i.e. at North Mullaloo) does not represent ‘best practice’ kiting principles;
3) Exclusion zones near and around flagged swimming areas are supported as a safety issue;
4) Joondalup should follow the long-term successful precedent set by the Cottesloe council regarding kite restrictions along Marine Parade. Here ‘exclusion’ has worked where ‘designation’ never would have;
5) Creating designated kite zones will only lead to congested beaches and increase the potential for incidents between kiters and the public.
6) Kiters are far less of a threat to public safety than many uninitiated would appreciate. With relatively free access kiters will logically choose the safest option – which is away from crowds.
7) At the times kiters frequent the beach; i.e. when wind speed is 15knots or more; beach  conditions usually mean that there are few other beach users around.

Given what appears to be a significant and well organised campaign against kiting at Mullaloo, it is imperative that members living in the City of Joondalup, their families and friends participate in this survey - your opinions and comments have far more weight than comments from kiters living outside the City of Joondalup. We encourage you to get family and friends on side as part of this campaign and that they also push the safety considerations we have highlighted.

WAKSA’s ROLE:

In conjunction with the local kite group MUG (Mullaloo User Group) WAKSA will be submitting a formal submission as part of the public consultation process. We will be coordinating a separate submission from your national body – The Australian Kite Surfing Association which represents all 6 state associations. We have sent formal and informal invitations to the City offering advice and assistance in the forward planning process. We believe that the invitation will accepted but the outcome of the survey response at this public comment phase will also be determining factor. We will be continuing to raise the public profile of this campaign through various media including local newspapers and utilising legal and public relations advice.

City of Joondalup Residents – what else can you do?

Councillors will place higher consideration on any concerns and suggestions that you make. We implore you and your local networks to email and/or call Councillors to express your concerns in addition to making comments via the online survey.

To make it a bit easier for you, contact details for all the City of Joondalup Councillors are listed here:
Cr Trona Young: trona.young@joondalup.wa.gov.au; 0409 163 463
Cr Phillipa Taylor: philippa.taylor@joondalup.wa.gov.au; 0400 777 794
Cr Michael Norman: Michael.normal@joondalup.wa.gov.au; 0438 710 527
Cr Christine Hamilton-Prime: christine.hamilton-prime@joondalup.wa.gov.au; 0405 506 595
Cr Geoff Amphlett: geoff.amphlett@joondalup.wa.gov.au; 0418 945 664
Cr Liam Gobbert: liam.gobbert@joondalup.wa.gov.au; 0419 197 839
Cr Tom McLean: tom.mclean@joondalup.wa.gov.au; 0417 931 437
Cr Kerry Hollywood: kerry.hollywood@joondalup.wa.gov.au; 0431 535 624
Cr Brian Corr: brian.corr@joondalup.wa.gov.au; 0417 979 989
Cr John Chester: john.chester@joondalup.wa.gov.au; 0408 985 022
Cr Fiona Diaz: fiona.diaz@joondalup.wa.gov.au; 0401 949 886
Cr Russ Fishwick: russ.fishwick@joondalup.wa.gov.au; 0403 344 613

The Draft Plan, can be downloaded >>HERE<<

The online survey can be found >>HERE<<

Hard copies can be collected from the council chambers.

MUG & the WAKSA crew appreciate your patience to date.

In order to make sure that your opinions, concerns and ideas about kiting at Joondalup/Mullaloo are heard, please make sure you submit either an online survey or complete a hard copy and return it to the City of Joondalup by 6th April 2010.

Mullaloo kiters, Perth kiters, and all West Australian kiters need you to recruit help – we need numbers.

PLEASE forward this link to anyone who you think will help us out.