Race to the bottom

Andrew Mathieson
PLANS for a former warship to be used for a diving site are in a race against time to beat the start of dredging off the Bellarine Peninsula.
HMAS Canberra has been waiting in a Perth dock for several months to be transported to Victoria.
Both the federal and state governments finally agreed this week to transfer the vessel after pressure from Victorian Artificial Reef Society.
Maritime defence service provider Tenix will remove hazardous materials at its Williamstown base before HMAS Canberra sinks in Bass Strait off Point Lonsdale.
Victorian Artificial Reef Society, which has led the push on behalf of the diving industry, hopes the ship will be scuttled by early next year.
But a state panel hearing into the viability of bay dredging has suggested the project could begin before the ship sunk, society president John Lawler warned.
“It could well be done (by Tenix) within six to nine months,” he said.
“But I don’t quite frankly expect seeing the project being done before December.”
Mr Lawler said dredging would prevent diving access to the bay for an “indefinite period”.
“It will have a very substantial impact on the commercial dive operators at both Queenscliff and Sorrento in that the bottom part of the bay will be shut down from diving for a period of time, which will impact on their income.”
State Government announced before last year’s election it would bring HMAS Canberra to the Bellarine Peninsula by December, 2006.
Federal Government initially committed $2.8 million to the project compared to the state’s $500,000 for transportation and maintenance.
But the budget has blown out to more than $7 million to comply with stringent Environmental Protection Authority guidelines to protect marine life.
“It was clear that money was insufficient for Tenix to do the job,” Mr Lawler said.
Federal Government has previous experience sinking similar warships throughout Australia.
The government has assumed the project management of the vessel, citing State Government inaction.