Turn Royal Perth Yacht Club into the new Matilda Bay Ferry Terminal

Turn Royal Perth Yacht Club into the new Matilda Bay Ferry Terminal Page ran by Greg

Western Australia’s fiscal position is becoming increasingly contradictory. The State continues to announce operating su...
07/05/2026

Western Australia’s fiscal position is becoming increasingly contradictory. The State continues to announce operating surpluses, yet net debt continues to escalate year after year — projected to rise from $34.5 billion in 2025–26 to over $44 billion by 2029–30.

A surplus should represent an opportunity to strengthen the balance sheet, reduce liabilities, and build long-term resilience. Instead, the Government is effectively exhausting every dollar of surplus while simultaneously increasing borrowing. That is not disciplined financial management — it is structural expansion of expenditure masked by headline surplus figures.

At a time of elevated living costs and persistent inflationary pressure, continued government spending growth only compounds the problem. When public expenditure accelerates faster than restraint or productivity, the broader economy absorbs the consequences through higher costs, reduced efficiency, and greater long-term debt servicing burdens on taxpayers.

The most concerning aspect is the absence of prioritisation. Rather than pursuing serious structural savings or targeted infrastructure efficiency, the Government continues to favour politically marketable short-term measures. A one-off $100 fuel voucher is economically insignificant for most households and does little to address underlying cost-of-living pressures. In practical terms, it resembles a taxpayer-funded electoral incentive rather than meaningful economic reform.

Even basic infrastructure decisions raise questions around fiscal prudence. For starters, relocating the ferry terminal to RPYC Jetty A could reportedly save approximately $90 million in public expenditure alone. If obvious opportunities for savings of that scale are ignored while debt continues to climb, it becomes increasingly difficult to argue the State is genuinely committed to responsible financial management.

If debt is not reduced during periods of strong revenue, resource royalties, and operating surpluses, then when exactly will it be reduced?

04/04/2026

Despite nearly 2000 public submissions — the majority opposed — the Matilda Bay ferry terminal has been approved. Yet the adjacent Royal Perth Yacht Club already has substantial developed jetties that have grown over the years.
Reusing existing infrastructure at the club site could protect valuable public parkland at Matilda Bay Reserve while improving river transport access for the broader community.
If you support practical solutions that prioritise public space over further private foreshore development, share this Reel widely and add your thoughts in the comments. Should the Royal Perth Yacht Club site be evaluated as an alternative for the ferry terminal?

19/02/2026

While Matilda bay is better then Jojos - we can’t ignore the fact that a Terminal on Jetty A at Royal Perth Yacht Club makes much more sense. Huge watercraft already use the jetty, traffic would barely be noticeable and there’s no need for dredging!

Move the Terminal to Jetty A

12/02/2026

A large yacht from the Perth Flying Squadron was observed travelling at approximately 20 knots through the 8-knot zone between Fremantle and Point Walter. This incident occurred recently, but similar events have happened multiple times over the years.

This is the same section of river where children regularly sail and row.

At the same time, the Royal Perth Yacht Club has raised concerns about the proposed small electric ferries — vessels that would generate nowhere near the wake created by a yacht of this size and would be operated by experienced, commercially qualified skippers.

Yet a single pass by a vessel from this club has already resulted in snapped ropes, damaged boats and even a broken jetty, with close to a hundred vessels affected and damage totalling almost a million dollars.

If the real concern is safety and large-vessel impact in the bay, consistency would suggest addressing the much larger wake-producing vessels already operating here.

One practical option would be relocating larger craft and establishing a dedicated terminal on Jetty A to better manage vessel movements.

It is difficult to argue risk from smaller ferries while incidents like this continue to occur.y

It has recently come to light that there is a swingers section associated with the Royal Perth Yacht Club. That alone is...
17/01/2026

It has recently come to light that there is a swingers section associated with the Royal Perth Yacht Club. That alone is confronting, but it becomes even more concerning when you consider the number of small children, disabled sailors, families, junior sailors, and members of the public who regularly use the club and the surrounding foreshore.

Adding to this concern are allegations that have circulated regarding predatory behaviour within the club. These are serious claims that, whether proven or not, demand transparency and proper scrutiny. When vulnerable groups such as small children and disabled sailors are involved, even unaddressed allegations should trigger caution, accountability, and independent investigation.

A yacht club presents itself as a family- and community-focused institution, yet appears willing to tolerate adult subcultures while publicly claiming to be deeply concerned about the safety and wellbeing of small children and disabled sailors. That contradiction is difficult to reconcile and raises legitimate questions about priorities and governance.

This hypocrisy is especially clear in the debate around the Matilda Bay ferry terminal. The club has strongly opposed the terminal, arguing it would harm small children, disabled sailors, or the amenity of the bay. If those concerns were genuinely about safety and protection, they must be applied consistently and backed by transparency within the club itself.

If the issue is truly about safety, accessibility, and common sense, then the answer is obvious. The ferry terminal should be located at A Jetty. It is the most practical and least disruptive option, places public transport infrastructure where it belongs, and avoids unnecessary impact on areas used by small children and disabled sailors.

The community deserves consistency and honesty. You cannot claim to be protecting vulnerable people while selectively opposing public infrastructure that benefits everyone, especially when serious and unresolved concerns are being ignored behind closed doors.y

22/12/2025

Crazy to watch Royal Perth Yacht Club argue that a small electric ferry will somehow “destroy the bay,” while at the same time celebrating and enabling vessels of a calibre that are absolute monsters — more than double the volume of the ferries they oppose.

If the concern is genuinely about environmental impact, congestion, wake, emissions, or visual scale, then those standards need to be applied consistently. These large private vessels bring a far greater footprint: increased wake energy, servicing and maintenance activity, hardstand use, support craft movements, and ongoing pressure on the bay — all well beyond what a quiet, regulated electric ferry would introduce.

This isn’t about protecting the bay; it’s about protecting privilege. The club can’t credibly claim to act in the public or environmental interest while supporting ever-larger yachts and resisting infrastructure that benefits the wider community.

The terminal belongs on jetty A

The Administrative Burden on RPYC makes for a hard Look at Royal Perth Yacht Club’s Governance CultureThere’s a growing ...
03/12/2025

The Administrative Burden on RPYC makes for a hard Look at Royal Perth Yacht Club’s Governance Culture

There’s a growing conversation among members and the broader community about the internal governance culture at Royal Perth Yacht Club, particularly around staffing structures and financial accountability.

For years, the club has operated with a number of long-term administrative roles that are exceptionally difficult — and extremely expensive — for the club to restructure or replace.
Some members have raised concerns that the cost of redundancies for long-standing senior staff is so high that the club effectively has no practical way to modernise or improve internal operations, even when change is needed.

This is not about individuals, but about a system that has created roles which:
• are almost impossible to reform,
• carry very high financial liabilities,
• leave ordinary members feeling unheard, and
• create the perception that staff are unaccountable to the membership.

Many members have privately expressed frustration that the club struggles to update governance practices, simply because doing so could expose the organisation to hundreds of thousands of dollars in redundancy obligations — something a community club cannot absorb.

These structural issues matter, especially when Royal Perth positions itself in the public debate as a voice of authority on how Matilda Bay should be managed.
If an organisation cannot reform its own internal culture, how can it dictate the future of a major public asset?

This is exactly why decisions about public waterways, public jetties, and public access cannot be left to a closed group whose governance challenges are well known among members.

Matilda Bay belongs to all Western Australians, and any discussion about its future must put public interest, cultural respect, and transparent governance first — not the internal politics of a private club.
Gillian Tosh

The RPYC private security team practising for when commoners are able to access the bay via public ferry
26/11/2025

The RPYC private security team practising for when commoners are able to access the bay via public ferry

Many members of Royal Perth Yacht Club and people posting on the “friends of matilda bay” page have recently expressed c...
21/11/2025

Many members of Royal Perth Yacht Club and people posting on the “friends of matilda bay” page have recently expressed concerns about the Wagyl and the cultural significance of Matilda Bay.
We actually find this reassuring — because it shows the club recognises the importance of the traditional owners of this land and water.

But if that concern is genuine, then the current plan for a brand-new ferry terminal in the middle of Matilda Bay makes no cultural, financial, or environmental sense.
With limited feasibility studies, a rushed EPA decision, and no meaningful consultation, it is clear that the safest, cheapest, and most culturally respectful option is to place the terminal at Jetty A at Royal Perth Yacht Club.

Jetty A already exists.
The hardstand already exists.
Minimal disturbance — maximum benefit.

If the hardstand were acquired for public use, it could finally become the home of an Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Hostel, right on Country. Visitors from faraway lands could stay on Whadjuk Noongar Country and catch the ferry directly to their accommodation and cultural centre — something meaningful, practical, and deeply respectful.

This single decision would save Western Australians:
• $105 million planned for a separate cultural centre
• $107 million for an unnecessary over-water jetty in Matilda Bay
• And likely far more — because under Minister Rita Saffioti’s management, these projects have the potential to blow out past a billion dollars, just like so many others.

Meanwhile, our state faces real, urgent issues:
• Our hospitals are overflowing, with hours-long waits
• Our courts are backlogged for years, leaving people — who may not even be guilty — sitting on remand at $350,000 per person per year
• Critical infrastructure is aging, regional services are under pressure, and basic public investment keeps falling behind

Yet somehow, money is being thrown at the most expensive and disruptive option for a ferry terminal — one that ignores culture, community, and common sense.

A Jetty A terminal solves all these problems:
• Uses existing infrastructure
• Avoids disturbing sacred sites
• Saves hundreds of millions
• Protects Matilda Bay
• Creates a meaningful space for Noongar people
• Connects Country directly with public transport
• And gives WA a future-proof electric ferry hub without destroying anything.

It’s time for the State Government to show respect, use logic, and choose the option that actually benefits Western Australians — not the one that destroys Matilda Bay for no reason.

Put the terminal on Jetty A.
Protect Country.
Save hundreds of millions.
Do what’s right.

14/11/2025

The Friends of Matilda Bay page keeps pushing the idea that a small fleet of quiet, professionally-operated electric ferries is somehow a danger to the bay — yet the same page says nothing about the actual high-speed racing yachts that regularly tear through the river and Matilda Bay at 20 knots or more, spinnakers up, barely in control when conditions change.

I’m posting a video of a fast racing yacht doing exactly that — and let’s be honest:
A boat doing 20 knots inside a 5-knot zone is far more dangerous than a regulated ferry that has strict speed limits, commercial skippers, and liability obligations.

These racing yachts are powerful, unpredictable, and extremely difficult to stop or turn quickly. We’ve even seen incidents where a blind sailing program’s boat was wiped out by a racing yacht — yet somehow ferries are the threat?

The contradictions are obvious.

To be clear: No one wants to ban sailing.
Sailing is important, historic, and a core part of life on the Swan River.
But when a page claims to “protect Matilda Bay” while ignoring the realities of what actually happens on the water, it becomes less about protection and more about protecting privilege.

If we can safely coexist with high-speed racing fleets across the river every week, we can certainly coexist with a couple of small, slow, electric ferries.

The only thing being endangered here is the narrative they’re trying to sell.

Rita Saffioti MLA

Address

Perth, WA
6009

Website

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