The Minister announced on 9 September 2011 changes to shipping policy to provide a viable and sustainable Australian shipping sector that can build its role into the future by supporting investment in the industry; facilitating service provision at reasonable costs; enabling its expansion into international trades; and securing a strong and broad maritime skills base. The reform framework is built around four key elements:
- modernising legislation to provide a more robust and transparent regulatory framework for ship operators and shippers;
- delivering taxation incentives to encourage investment in Australian ships and skills development;
- establishing an Australian international register to support Australian shipping in international trades; and
- a coordinated approach to develop workforce capability and skills across the broad maritime industry.
The Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) was assessed as adequate by the Office of Best Practice Regulation. The RIS highlights the importance of productivity gains in the workforce in order to maintain or improve the shipping industry in Australia and to ensure a continuing supply of domestically qualified seafarers.
- Stronger Shipping RIS – RTF version [
936KB] - Stronger Shipping RIS – PDF version [
1.1MB]