National Law Act exemptions for marine orders

The National Law Act, regulations, marine orders, and exemptions set out the detail of the national system.

Exemptions from parts of the national law are provided where one of the following apply:

  • it is unreasonable to require full compliance
  • where transitional arrangements are required.

General exemptions are provided to a class of people or vessels, such as heritage vessels or traditional operators. Some general exemptions require an application to be made before the exemption can be accessed, whilst others are available ‘as of right’.

Specific exemptions may be available where required for a specific person or vessel, and an application will generally be required in these instances.

For further information, see our policy on exemptions from the domestic commercial vessel national law.

Index of national law exemptions

Exemption numberTitle
1Marine Safety (Vessel identifiers) Exemption
2Marine Safety (Certificates of survey) Exemption
3Marine Safety (Certificates of operation) Exemption
4Marine Safety (Recreational use) Exemption
6Marine Safety (Periodic survey, equipment certification and compass adjustment) Exemption
7Marine Safety (Temporary operations) Exemption
10Marine Safety (Operation of fishing vessels) Exemption
13Marine Safety (Wildlife or other sightseeing) Exemption
14Marine Safety (Sea rangers) Exemption
15Marine Safety (Scientific research and educational activities) Exemption
16Marine Safety (Traditional fishing) Exemption
17Marine Safety (Great Barrier Reef Region and Torres Strait zone) Exemption
18Marine Safety (Sail) Exemption
21Marine Safety (Operator vehicular ferry–in–chains) Exemption
22Marine Safety (Bareboats) Exemption
23Marine Safety (Masters or crew without certificates) Exemption
24Marine Safety (Emergency services vessels) Exemption
25Marine Safety (Old certificates of competency — local restrictions) Exemption
31Marine Safety (Expired pre-USL Code certificates) Exemption
33Marine Safety (Sailing vessels with motor propulsion) Exemption
36Marine Safety (Steam-powered vessels) Exemption
39Marine Safety (Life jacket lights) Exemption
40

Marine Safety (Class C restricted operations) Exemption

and schedules listed below:

Exemption 40 (Operational Area) Determination

Additional maps are available for Tasmania that depict both the C restricted areas as well as sheltered water limits:

41Marine Safety (Unpowered barges) Exemption
44Marine Safety (Domestic commercial vessels—EIAPP certificate)
48Marine Safety (Houseboats) Exemption
Last updated: 22 February 2024