The National System - service delivery by the
Australian Maritime Safety Authority 5 years on Mick Kinley, AMSA Chief Executive Officer
On 1 July 2013, Australia’s National System commenced. A 5-year transitional period began, whereby the marine safety agencies of each state and territory acted as delegates for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) under the Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Act 2012 (NL Act). The National System replaced 8 sets of rules with one regulatory scheme and is based on nationally agreed standards for Domestic Commercial Vessels (DCVs).
On 1 July 2018, AMSA took on the service delivery of the National
System. Now 5 years on, AMSA Chief Executive Officer, Mick Kinley, reflects on this milestone and some of the initial changes the transition incorporated, which continue to serve the organisation in its mission to ensure safe vessel operations.
“The tools and procedures multiple teams implemented to improve efficiency, consistency, awareness and the allocation of resources have proven invaluable towards ongoing safety improvements and the reduction of fatalities associated with DCV operations,” he said.
“We reached out to industry with a single regulatory focus and vision, and developed communication processes and systems to strengthen our stakeholder relationships.”
Engagement with industry
AMSA developed a national safety committee and regional safety committees to enable a two- way communication channel between different industry groups on our regulations and safety standards related to the National System.
Committees and advisory groups play a critical part in how it operates as a modern regulator, by collaborating with industry and consulting widely on proposed changes or new requirements.
When AMSA became the sole regulator of the National System, accredited surveyor workshops were held nationally to complement the new survey schemes under Marine Order 503, survey reporting requirements of the surveyor manual and newly introduced operating system, MARS.
The regulator also undertook safety management system (SMS) workshops to support industry in operational safety compliance. These workshops challenged the way SMS had been historically considered, by presenting a system for managing business safely, not just complying with maritime safety regulations. AMSA has delivered over 300 formal SMS workshops.
Implementing change
In 2018, AMSA faced new challenges when it inherited a geographically diverse fleet of DCVs. To ensure the compliance, certification and inspections of this considerable fleet, the authority developed frameworks, technical systems, and communication processes to further improve its interactions with industry.
The Seafarer Certification team commenced the assessments required for Certificates of Competency to be issued to domestic operators. Considerable effort was made to manage the data transfer from the state agencies.
With a consistent ‘one voice’ approach, AMSA implemented various tools, systems and procedures to increase operational efficiency and consistency, and aid the effective allocation of resources.
This has since incorporated many regulatory changes and initiatives, including the introduction and amendments of several marine orders, adoption of the Marine Surveyors Accreditation Guidance Manual 2014 and development of AMSAs annual National Compliance Plans.
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