Part 3: Connections and cooperation
Connections
Planning and reporting
We have an integrated planning, budgeting and reporting process – below.
How the elements of our plan integrate
Cooperation
AMSA works with a wide and diverse range of stakeholders to deliver on its purpose.
The following table details AMSA’s most significant cooperative relationships. Without these relationships, AMSA would be unable to deliver its purpose.
| Type | Organisation | Nature of relationship | AMSA role |
|---|---|---|---|
| International | International Maritime Organization (IMO) | The IMO maintains a comprehensive regulatory system for international shipping covering ship safety, seafarer qualifications, preventing pollution from ships, maritime security, search and rescue, and the efficiency of shipping. Influencing IMO standards is critical to Australia’s national interest because 99% of our international trade by volume is carried on international commercial ships. Australia’s work at the IMO pursues enforceable obligations for international shipping operations in our waters and across the region. | AMSA leads Australia’s engagement at IMO. We promote maritime safety, maritime search and rescue and protection of the marine environment |
| Asia-Pacific Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies Forums (APHoMSA) | APHoMSA was established to promote safe, secure shipping and a clean marine environment within the Asia- Pacific region. The forum is held annually and is attended by senior maritime officials from across the region. AMSA will host the 2021meeting and provides the Secretariat for APHoMSA. AMSA’s engagement provides a valuable opportunity to influence issues within the region and to collaborate on shared challenges and priorities within our region. | AMSA founded and provides the permanent Secretariat to APHoMSA. We promote maritime safety, seafarer welfare, protection of the marine environment, and regional cooperation, | |
| International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) | IALA ensures that seafarers are provided with effective and harmonised marine aids to navigation services worldwide. | provide infrastructure to support safe navigation in Australian waters | |
| International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) | ICAO is a specialised agency of the United Nations that codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth | provide a national search and rescue service to the maritime and aviation sectors | |
International Labour Organization (ILO) | The ILO promotes workers’ rights, encourages decent employment opportunities, enhances social protection and strengthens dialogue on work-related issues. The key ILO instrument that applies to the maritime industry is the Maritime Labour Convention 2006. MLC sets out living and working conditions for seafarers, including conditions of employment, accommodation and health protections. AMSA support’s the Attorney-General’s Department interaction with the ILO, in particular representing Australia for maritime related matters. | promote maritime safety and seafarer welfare | |
Australian Seafarer Welfare Council (ASWC) | ASWC was established to ensure a continued focus on a national standard in the provision of welfare services for all seafarers visiting Australian ports. AMSA plays a leading role in the work that ASWC aims to achieve by providing leadership and continues to collaborate with port welfare committees and seafarer and ship operators representatives to ensure Australia’s obligation to seafarer welfare under the MLC continue to be maintained. | promote seafarer welfare and safety |
| Type | Organisation | Nature of relationship | AMSA role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | Shipping Consultative Forum | The forum consists of peak bodies and industry associations representing regulated Australian and foreign flag vessels operating in Australia waters, seafarers and related maritime industries. The forum was established to provide advice on the strategic priorities set against each of the following four themes that are likely to challenge AMSA and the maritime industry in the medium to long-term: (1) Regulation—keeping pace with technology, social expectation and use of data to inform change (2) Environment—impacts of a changing climate, reduction in GHG emissions and changing energy sources (3) Stakeholders—impact of COVID-19 on industry and the long term recovery; and (4) technology—improved connectivity and information exchange, increased use of automation | promote maritime safety and protection of the marine environment prevent and combat ship-sourced pollution in the marine environment |
| National Safety Committee | The purpose of the National Safety Committee is to bring together a network of peak bodies and industry representatives from across the maritime sector to focus on improving safety outcomes nationally. The role of the group is advisory only to inform effective policy, regulations and standards. | promote maritime safety and protection of the marine environment | |
| Regional Safety Committees | A national network of Regional Safety Committees to provide AMSA with a forum to engage with a broad range of stakeholders on vessel, operational and workplace safety to improve safety outcomes for the domestic commercial vessel industry. The RSC’s work with the NSC by referring matters of relevance for consideration and providing advice as requested | promote maritime safety and protection of the marine environment | |
| Government | National Plan Committees and Technical working groups National Search and Rescue Council | AMSA manages and participates in a range of consultative bodies with state and territory counterparts. The National Search and Rescue Council and forums established to managed the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies (the National Plan) are critically important to managing Australia’s cooperative search and rescue regime and national pollution response capabilities. | promote maritime safety prevent and combat ship-sourced pollution in the marine environment |
| State and territory workplace health and safety regulators | As the various State and territory WHS / OHS Acts apply to domestic commercial vessels as well as AMSA’s National Law, concurrent legislation applies for certain activities or plant and equipment. When an incident occurs on a domestic commercial vessel, it may be reported to either AMSA or a WHS regulator or both. The initial on-scene evidence gathering and investigation processes could be initiated by either regulator, depending on who is able to attend at the time and location. AMSA has MOUs with each of the WHS regulators which describe processes to determine jurisdiction and contact details of the relevant officers in each agency. These MOUs are reviewed annually. AMSA established the National Maritime WHS regulators forum in 2019 which all the state and territory WHS regulators attend. It meets twice yearly to discuss relevant cross jurisdictional matters, review past incident responses, outcomes from investigations, incident database trends, legislative updates and information sharing. AMSA established the National Maritime WHS regulators forum in 2019 which all the state and territory WHS regulators attend. It meets twice yearly to discuss relevant cross jurisdictional matters, review past incident responses, outcomes from investigations, incident database trends and legislative updates. | promote maritime safety and protection of the marine environment | |
| Commonwealth WHS regulator | The Commonwealth WHS Act applies to RAVs and domestic vessels when on interstate voyages. AMSA has an MOU with SEACARE Authority which is managed by Operations. |