Quoting a spokesperson for the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure:
NSW Crown Lands: The Port Hacking Open Sailing Club is required, under the Crown Land Management Act 2016, to pay annual rent for its use of Crown land for a boatshed and clubhouse structures on the waterfront.
PHOSC response: Despite extensive correspondence with NSW Crown Lands, the department still doesn't comprehend what Port Hacking Open Sailing Club has located on the permissive occupancy. There is no clubhouse on Crown Land — the clubhouse is on council-owned land. There are two boatsheds on the PO and they occupy 20% of the site; the other 80% is open for public use. PHOSC is an ASIC-registered "Not-for-Profit" volunteer club whose primary revenue is membership fees. The club was set up over 80 years ago for the benefit of the community, and our members take offence that the club is being penalised and bludgeoned into paying excessive fees to NSW Crown Lands for land that the public have access to 365 days per year and waterfront infrastructure paid for and maintained by the sailing club for free. This ill-conceived policy has been pushed forward with minimal community consultation and will cause irrevocable damage to volunteer and community-run organisations that currently occupy NSW Crown Land.
NSW Crown Lands: The Act requires rents to be at market rates to ensure tenure holders who benefit from using Crown land pay a fair return for the people of NSW to be reinvested back into community land.
PHOSC response: The pre-existing rent of $664 PA is manageable for a volunteer sailing club. The Crown Land in question is already utilised and maintained for the benefit of the community, not private individuals. The sailing club has demonstrated over the last 69 years that it is a responsible caretaker of the site, nurturing and maintaining this public land asset. The club should not be financially penalised for being a responsible custodian of this land — paying for upkeep and sharing it with the public. NSW Crown Lands really should be supporting the club financially, rather than forcing it into closure via extortionate annual fees.
NSW Crown Lands: Eligible sporting clubs, including Port Hacking Open Sailing Club, receive a 50% rent discount under the Crown land concession policy in recognition of the benefit these clubs provide to the community.
PHOSC response: The offer from Crown Lands of a 50% reduction to the over-inflated 1,400% increase in annual fees is an absolute joke. This thinly-veiled charitable gesture represents a 640% increase in annual fees and will still force the closure of PHOSC. Many other volunteer clubs and organisations will also be offered this 50% discount, but very few will be able to survive long-term, eventually destroying the massive contribution their volunteers have made over decades for the benefit of the whole community.
NSW Crown Lands: Tenure holders who are experiencing financial stress may also apply for additional financial support.
PHOSC response: Even with a 50% reduction, volunteer clubs like PHOSC will close and be lost forever. NSW State Government Crown Lands has demonstrated no understanding as to what benefits small community clubs deliver to society. The NSW Government is solely driven towards a massive revenue-collecting scheme that will very quickly damage community relationships and social connections, never to be replaced.
NSW Crown Lands: Crown Lands is currently working with the club to consider whether any other financial hardship assistance may be provided in this instance.
PHOSC response: PHOSC has made multiple submissions to NSW Crown Lands and their revenue department has demonstrated no empathy other than the farcical 50% fee reduction carrot. All indications received from NSW Crown Lands are that they have a very unhealthy obsession with increasing departmental revenue exponentially, and are prepared to close volunteer clubs down for good if they do not comply. The message we are receiving is "Pay up or close up."
Footnote (23 February 2026): Assisting the club with our appeal to the Government are The Hon. Mark Speakman MP, The Hon. Stephanie Cooke MP, The Hon. Lorraine Overall MLC and Australian Sailing. The club has not received any response as yet from Sutherland Shire Council, The Hon. Chris Minns MP (NSW Premier) or The Hon. Stephen Kamper MP (Minister of Crown Lands).
See also: PHOSC objects to outrageous NSW Crown Lands fee → and the story in The St George & Sutherland Shire Leader →.
