Overview
- State Coroner David Whittle recommended requiring life jackets for everyone aboard powered vessels up to 7 metres, with the duty not limited to times when a boat is underway.
- The inquest examined four capsizes from March 2024 to January 2025 that caused eight deaths, and found none of the victims wore life jackets and their chances of survival would likely have been higher if they had.
- South Australia currently mandates wear on boats under 4.8 metres, and the coroner said lifting the threshold to 7 metres would place a mandatory obligation on about 93 percent of registered boats.
- Further recommendations include updating the Boating Safety Handbook with a dedicated life jacket chapter and encouraging GPS-enabled personal locator beacons for offshore users, noting most boaters already carry jackets and face little added cost.
- The Department for Infrastructure and Transport said it will consider the findings following consultation with the boating community, and Opposition Leader Ashton Hurn said she will closely review the proposals.