The city council's new infrastructure director David Leahy said they were pleased with the discussions which he described as positive.

"They're keen to look at how they can pour some finances into that structure," he said.

Mr Leahy said the council had now been tasked with coming back with "some infrastructure options around potential funding opportunities for improvements at the site".

He said the discussions were a "step in the right direction" and there were further meetings planned for the end of January/early February.

In 2019, the boat ramp was given the title of "the worst in the state", and in October a damning report into its condition labelled it "unsafe" and a "liability risk".

Mr Leahy said Better Boating Victoria was the government department that dealt with the safe launching and retrieval of boats.

He said there were "lots of layers" to the works needed in the harbour precinct which crossed a number of different government departments.

Mr Leahy said it was "someone else's infrastructure" the council was trying to manage at a "considerable loss" and that was why they were trying to get government departments to fund it.

In 2019, the government gave the council $700,000 to carry out the detailed design works for the projects, lifting hopes that eventually it would come good with the funding of a facility the council manages on behalf of the state government.

Hopes were high that $10.7 million worth of harbour and breakwater upgrades, as well as a new and safer boat ramp, would be successful in securing funding in the October and December state government funding rounds.

But by the end of the year it was clear the projects had been overlooked, despite attempts by the outgoing council to make sure the projects were shovel ready.

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