Australian Prime Minister slapped with $250 fine for failing to wear lifejacket on Sydney Harbour

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been slapped with a $250 fine after being pictured in his inflatable dinghy without a lifejacket earlier this week said news.com.au.

The photographs show Mr Turnbull at the helm of the boat not wearing a lifejacket on Sydney Harbour, not far from his waterfront home in Point Piper.

Local waterway regulations dictate that anyone operating a vessel less than 4.8 metres long alone must be wearing a lifejacket.

NSW Maritime Services confirmed that Mr Turnbull would be issued a $250 fine after the photographs of him in the boat were published by The Australian.

PM sunk for not wearing lifevest https://t.co/Okm6cDA87B

— The Australian (@australian) December 28, 2017

"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," a spokesman said.

The Prime Minister took to Facebook to apologise for his error in judgment, stating that he had spoken with the Maritime about the issue.

"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," he wrote.

Mr Turnbull claims he was only moving the dinghy about 20 metres from the jetty to the beach.

"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," the post continued.

Water safety is all important especially at this time of year and as I discovered today we all need to be very alert to...

Posted by Malcolm Turnbull on Wednesday, 27 December 2017

"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."

A spokesman for the Prime Minister said he would pay the fine as soon as it was received.