Our regulatory approach 2014

Showing 1 - 20 of 2090 results

AMSA to host Asia-Pacific maritime safety forum

APHoMSA was established in 1996 in order to assist in promoting safe, secure shipping and a clean maritime environment within the Asia-Pacific region by bringing together senior maritime...

Last updated 13/10/2017
Search and rescue boost as new capability comes online

MEDIA RELEASEWarren Truss Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Australia's search and rescue capabilities are being bolstered by a $640...

Last updated 16/01/2018
AMSA provides charts for Tagai State College navigation course

The photo shows a class undertaking navigation studies as part of the year 11 and 12 Vocational Education and Training (VET) curriculum at the college. Mr Tim Hillier, the course...

Last updated 13/10/2017
Australia and the Republic of Korea sign a Memorandum of Understanding

The MoU acknowledges the importance of safety, security and environmental protection in the international shipping industry, and is intended to formalise and acknowledge the mutual benefits...

Last updated 13/10/2017
AMSA and Medibank Health Solutions update their memorandum of understanding

Graham Peachey, CEO, Allan Schwartz, GM SSD, and Jason Keir, General Manager for Medibank Health Solutions, also attended the meeting.Medibank Health Solutions is the company that...

Last updated 02/11/2017
AMSA celebrates International Civil Aviation Day

The participants concluded and signed the Convention on International Civil Aviation, also more popularly known as the ‘Chicago Convention’, the defining international agreement which has...

Last updated 13/10/2017
Three distress beacons in four hours, thirteen people rescued

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority responded to three separate emergency beacon activations yesterday, resulting in the rescue of 13 people.Just after 3 pm AEST, AMSA detected an...

Last updated 17/11/2017
Day of the Seafarer

The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Day of the Seafarer was celebrated on 25 June, the event’s fourth year.Around the globe there are about 1.5 million seafarers responsible for...

Last updated 13/10/2017
APHoMSA 2014—continuing to strengthen regional cooperation

APHoMSA brings together senior maritime officials from across the Asia-Pacific region to discuss issues of mutual interest.Australia has a central role in APHoMSA as the Secretariat.Sixteen...

Last updated 13/10/2017
AMSA hosts regional pollution response planning workshop

PACPLAN provides a framework for cooperative regional responses to maritime pollution incidents in the Pacific region. Under this agreement, Australia is nominated as the primary point of...

Last updated 13/10/2017
AMSA meets Australia’s new Permanent Representative to the IMO

AMSA Deputy Chief Executive Officer Mick Kinley, General Manager of Navigation Safety and International Division Brad Groves, and Manager Search and Rescue Resources Julian Mitchell,...

Last updated 13/10/2017
AMSA strengthens its search and rescue cooperation with our neighbouring regions

The first arrangement, the Maritime Search and Rescue Technical Arrangement for Cooperation among Pacific Island Countries and Territories, was the result of a cooperative process...

Last updated 13/10/2017
Industry recognised at annual shipping awards

AMSA sponsored the Seafarers’ Welfare Award, of which there were two winners this year: Port of Brisbane and Sister Mary Leahy. Highly commended was awarded to ANL Container Lines. ...

Last updated 13/10/2017
2014 Australian Search and Rescue Award winners announced

Since 1996, the National Search and Rescue Council, which is made up of representatives from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), Australian Defence Force and state and...

Last updated 13/10/2017
Bunker delivery note requirements

MARPOL Annex VI and the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983 require that specific information be included on the bunker delivery note, provided to a ship...

Last updated 17/08/2018
Australia and Fiji work together to fix maritime navigation equipment damaged by Tropical Cyclone Winston

The cyclone caused significant damage to the infrastructure of Fiji, including to a number of maritime aids to navigation and lighthouse sites.The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA...

Last updated 15/12/2017
Appeals Tribunal upholds AMSA ship detention

AMSA detained the vessel OOCL Le Havre in Brisbane after a Port State Control inspection on 24 May found that its Safety Management System had failed to ensure crew had an adequate...

Last updated 15/12/2017
Mount Barney caretakers awarded search and rescue accolade

An initiative of the Australian National Search and Rescue Council (NATSAR), the accolade recognises an outstanding contribution to search and rescue activities in Australia.The NATSAR...

Last updated 15/12/2017
My Boat provides easy access to on-board safety standards

My Boat helps boat owners and operators understand their safety obligations and provides guidance on what might be required if they decide to upgrade or change their boat. Users can enter...

Last updated 15/12/2017
Wreckage found in search for missing aircraft in Queensland

About 11.35am AEST this morning, AMSA was advised by the Queensland Police Service that a landowner had come across objects on a mountain plateau on his property that could be related to an...

Last updated 15/12/2017

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Our regulatory approach 2014

This document has been superseded by the 2018 Statement of regulatory approach.

Read the 2018 Statement of regulatory approach.

We consider a range of factors when developing our regulatory approach for domestic commercial vessels.

Principles include safety, flexibility, collaboration, performance, and responsibility.

Safety is primary

Marine safety risks must be reduced as much as possible. Regulation must be scaled to reflect risk.

Regulation must be flexible

We regulate approximately 27,000 domestic commercial vessels and 66,000 masters and crew across the country. The fleet is highly varied, from small boats on aqua culture leases to ferries carrying millions of passengers per year.
The age, operation and areas in which the fleet varies significantly, as do their risk management processes.
Our regulatory approach must be flexible enough to manage the risks of these different vessels, operations and operators, while supporting both business and environmental sustainability.

Collaboration with industry

We develop and maintain a collaborative relationship with industry.
We share an obligation with you to make the domestic commercial vessel safer.
Everyone whose actions impact on safety are required to follow the general safety duties under the National Law, including operators, masters, builders, crew and passengers.
By collaborating with you, we will ensure we stay in touch with the realities of operating a domestic commercial vessel and be able to offer practical safety solutions, support and advice.
We will share information, including safety data which allows for true risk-based oversight.

Based on performance

Our regulatory scheme is performance-based, not prescriptive.
Prescriptive requirements can discourage operators from considering how safety is best managed and create a "meet the minimum requirements' attitude.
Prescriptive requirements can stifle innovation by being difficult to keep pace with the latest safety developments and technology.
Performance based regulation provides you with the opportunity to take a more active role in delivering safety outcomes and encourages operators to adopt best practice.
A performance based approach is more likely to bring about mutually beneficial interactions between you and us.

The operator is responsible

The operator has the primary responsibility for ensuring the vessel is safe and operates safely.
The person with overall general control and management of the vessel is in the best position to identify and control the risks of their operation.
They are responsible for making sure those risks are being managed.
We will support risk management through effective performance-based regulation.
We will make information accessible to support operators to maintain safe vessels and operations.
We will verify the operator is managing risks where appropriate.

Trust and verify

We will take a 'trust and verify' approach to maintaining safety.
If you have compliant vessels, a good safety record and a safety management system, we will focus on periodically verifying compliance with safety outcomes through risk-based surveillance and system-based audits.
We will direct our efforts towards industry sectors and operators that do not have a good record of compliance, including new vessels, operators and crew and where the risks and/or consequences of an incident are high.
Breaches will be dealt with in accordance with our compliance and enforcement policy.
Implementation of a 'trust and verify' approach will take time.
A transitional process will be applied to ensure operators take responsibility for safety outcomes through the implementation of an effective safety management system.

Leverage third-party expertise

We will make use of third-party expertise to bolster its regulatory safety activities.
There wil be a greater role for nationally accredited private surveyors.
These arrangements will increase the availability of resources that enable operators to meet their obligations.

Simplicity is our goal

We will strive to make it simple for you to maintain safety.
We will improve safety by making it easier for operators, surveyors and marine safety officers and inspectors to establish and maintain safe vessels and safe operating practices by streamlining the structure of our regulations and producing high-quality guidance material and training programs.
We will work together with other safety agencies to reduce the potential for duplication of safety rules and the application of those rules.

We will reduce duplication

We will work together with other safety agencies to reduce duplication of safety rules and their application.
Domestic commercial vessels are subject to different laws including maritime safety, occupation health and safety, local waterways, environmental and fisheries management.
Where there is overlap we will work with other agencies to reduce or remove the duplication.

Last updated:

Wednesday 12 December 2018

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AMSA to host Asia-Pacific maritime safety forum

Search and rescue boost as new capability comes online

AMSA provides charts for Tagai State College navigation course

Australia and the Republic of Korea sign a Memorandum of Understanding

AMSA and Medibank Health Solutions update their memorandum of understanding

AMSA celebrates International Civil Aviation Day

Three distress beacons in four hours, thirteen people rescued

Day of the Seafarer

APHoMSA 2014—continuing to strengthen regional cooperation

AMSA hosts regional pollution response planning workshop

AMSA meets Australia’s new Permanent Representative to the IMO

AMSA strengthens its search and rescue cooperation with our neighbouring regions

Industry recognised at annual shipping awards

2014 Australian Search and Rescue Award winners announced

Bunker delivery note requirements

Australia and Fiji work together to fix maritime navigation equipment damaged by Tropical Cyclone Winston

Appeals Tribunal upholds AMSA ship detention

Mount Barney caretakers awarded search and rescue accolade

My Boat provides easy access to on-board safety standards

Wreckage found in search for missing aircraft in Queensland

Our regulatory approach 2014

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