Overview
- Tony Pasin and a staff member were on a tour of an oyster lease at Bakers Beach when the barge struck a sandbar about 9:30am on Thursday, producing a 'man overboard' emergency.
- Police say a man fell into the water and became briefly trapped between the sandbar and the vessel before being pulled free and given on-scene medical care.
- Both men were taken to Launceston General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries; Pasin was discharged and is staying in Tasmania to support his staffer, who remains in a serious but stable condition.
- Tasmania Police notified WorkSafe Tasmania and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and those agencies are expected to carry out follow-up assessments of the incident.
- Pasin was undertaking shadow ministerial duties for fisheries and forestry when the accident occurred, and oyster barges operating in shallow coastal waters can face navigational hazards such as unseen sandbars.