Review of marine safety laws
The Department of Transport is undertaking a comprehensive review of the Marine Act 1988. A Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) has been prepared for the proposed Marine Regulations 2009.
Information on this page
Proposed new marine regulations - submissions invited
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Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) (PDF, 741KB, 252 pp.) has been prepared for the proposed Marine Regulations 2009, as required by the Subordinate Legislation Act 1984.
The proposed regulations extend the operation of the current regulations, with minor changes, for three years. This will allow the Government to complete the current comprehensive review of the Marine Act 1988 and give due consideration to the wider legislative and regulatory changes arising from that review.
Submissions on the proposed regulations and the RIS are invited no later than 5 pm on 20 November 2009. All submissions will be treated as public documents.
Submissions should be emailed to
martin.pike@transport.vic.gov.au or posted to:
Marine Regulations 2009
Department of Transport
GPO Box 2797
Melbourne VIC 3001
About the review of the Marine Act 1988
Relatively few changes have been made to the Marine Act since it was enacted more than 20 years ago.
The focus of the review is to modernise and strengthen Victoria's marine legislation to improve safety regulation on our waterways.
High levels of growth in both commercial and recreational marine activity over the past decade have led to increasing congestion, amplified due to the shrinkage of inland waters caused by Victoria's long drought.
Safety risks are growing and the number of collisions is rising. In 2007-08 collisions replaced drowning as the major cause of death associated with marine incidents.
Rapid expansion in new forms of high speed recreational watercraft has added to safety risks in many popular boating and swimming locations.
Hospital admissions as a result of incidents on the water have risen significantly over recent years. A total of 298 people were admitted to Victorian hospitals in 2007-08 with recreational boating injuries - an increase of 34 per cent in just one year and nearly double the number recorded only five years earlier.
The review will consider contemporary approaches to marine regulation that have the potential to improve safety outcomes and reduce deaths and injuries on our waterways.
Public consultation program
The review commenced in November 2008. Scoping workshops, attended by a cross section of key stakeholders, were held in December 2008 to identify problems with the current Act and suggested changes.
A series of workshops on different topics, involving a wider range of key stakeholders, was held in March 2009.
These informed the preparation of the major discussion paper:
Improving Marine Safety in Victoria (PDF, 5,482 KB, 238 pp.)
Or download by section:
- Chapter 1 - Introduction (PDF, 722 KB, 28 pp.)
- Chapter 2 - Overview of the marine sector in Victoria (PDF, 433 KB, 12 pp.)
- Chapter 3 - Existing law and institutional arrangements (PDF, 249 KB, 16 pp.)
- Chapter 4 - Outcomes associated with the status quo (PDF, 875 KB, 30 pp.)
- Chapter 5 - Options for improvement (PDF, 410 KB, 24 pp.)
- Chapter 6 - Reform options under consideration (PDF, 1,910 KB, 82 pp.)
- Appendices (PDF, 1,182 KB, 46 pp.)
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To assist with understanding the key issues and options for reform, two summary papers have been prepared:
A more detailed paper dealing with the specific issue of 'hoon' boating has also been prepared for consideration and comment: