Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, was fined 250 Australian dollars (195 dollars) for not wearing a life jacket while moving his dinghy on Sydney harbour, a local media reported on Friday.

Turnbull was moving the small vessel about 20 metres from a jetty to a beach near his harbour-side home when he was photographed by a paparazzo.

The photo appeared in the Australian newspaper on Thursday and the Maritime Service division Chief, Angus Mitchell, told newsmen safety was paramount on the water.

Mitchell said the prime minister would be fined the 250 dollar penalty for not wearing a life jacket while alone in a boat.

Turnbull said on Facebook that he had learned his lesson.

“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.

“The rules can often seem very technical, but they are there to keep us safe and we should all comply with them,” Turnbull said.

The fine came the same day a man drowned in waters off Sydney after his fishing dinghy capsised and two others had to be rescued by helicopter.

According to news report, none of them was wearing life jackets. (NAN)