PM Malcolm Turnbull Slapped With Fine For Not Wearing Life Jacket

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been slapped with a $250 fine after failing to wear a life jacket while on his boat in Sydney Harbour.

NSW Roads and Maritime Service have confirmed the fine with the following statement.

A $250 fine will apply to the Prime Minister who was not wearing a life jacket when moving his dinghy a short distance earlier this week.

- RMS

It is understood that Mr Turnbull was moving the dinghy 20 metres from the jetty to a nearby beach at the time of the transgression.

While he wasn't in open waters, it's against regulations to be in a boat alone without a life jacket.

Mr Turnbull has commented on the matter on social media, saying that he will always wear a life jacket from now on.

Water safety is all important especially at this time of year and as I discovered today we all need to be very alert to rules about wearing life jackets. Yesterday I was moving an inflatable dinghy from a jetty into the beach - only about 20 metres and always very close to the shore. I wasn’t wearing a life jacket, but as NSW Maritime explained to me today when I called them, because I was in the dinghy alone, even for that very short distance the NSW regulations required me to wear one. The rules can often seem very technical, but they are there to keep us safe and we should all comply with them. So lesson learned; I will make sure I always wear a life jacket in my dinghy regardless of how close I am to the shore, just as I always do on my kayak.

- Malcolm Turnbull's Facebook post