Functions

AMSA is structured into divisions to deliver our functions. Three of our divisions – Operations, Policy and Regulation, and Response – deliver our core business of: promoting maritime safety and environment protection, combating ship source pollution, providing navigation infrastructure and a search and rescue service. As a small agency employing approximately 470 staff in 20 locations, the support provided by our Corporate Services division is a key enabler to helping us achieve our functions.

Our Operations Division:

• implements the regulatory framework developed by AMSA’s Policy and Regulation division and provides support to AMSA’s Response division when an incident occurs 
• ensures domestic and international shipping in Australia is operating in accordance with the regulatory framework administered by AMSA, primarily the Navigation Act 2012 and the Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Act 2012
• ensures vessels are maintained in good condition, have appropriate working and living conditions on vessels, operated safely by people with the required skills, all passengers onboard are safe and cargoes are handled and stowed appropriately to ensure safe transit
• undertakes a range of compliance functions, including communication and education, providing information and advice, certification and targeted monitoring activities, incident management and investigations and issue of compliance notices
• provides an enforcement capability encompassing investigations, issuing of infringement notices and prosecutions. 

Our Policy and Regulation Division:

• influences international standards and makes regulations to give legal effect to those standards in relation to maritime safety and marine pollution
• develops policy, regulations and standards for domestic commercial vessels operating in Australian waters
• engages with industry stakeholders to ensure our regulations and standards are fit for purpose and will achieve intended outcomes
• cooperates with Australian government agencies and maritime administrations to consistently implement global standards for international commercial shipping
• is developing a data analytics capability for the organisation to ensure decisions are data driven and risk based.

Our Response Division:

• coordinates search and rescue, intervention and pollution response operations 24/7 consistent with Australia’s obligations under international conventions 
• engages with states and territories to ensure consistent approaches to maritime casualties, marine pollution and search and rescue incidents
• contributes to safe navigation by maintaining our network of aids to navigation
• manages service contracts and resources that we need to support our response operations.

Our Corporate Services Division:

• ensures we are equipped with fit-for-purpose data, information and communications technology to meet our service delivery and business needs
• ensures we have a dynamic and well managed workforce to meet our responsibilities
• provides organisational-wide governance support and financial management and
• ensures we deliver effective customer service and communication activities to inform, educate, consult and collaborate with our key stakeholders and the regulated community, enabling them to meet their maritime safety and environmental obligations.

The activities, outputs and outcomes depicted over the page are indicative of our core business outputs, based on 2021–22 data. Please refer to AMSA’s 2022–23 Annual Report for detailed information on AMSA’s performance in 2022–23.

The delivery of initiatives listed in this Plan are prioritised and balanced against our resource capacity to ensure we continue to deliver a high-level of service across our core functions.