In October 2012, the National Marine Safety Committee published the National Standard for General Safety Requirements for Vessels, as approved by the Standing Council on Transport and Infrastructure. The standard applies to domestic commercial vessels not required to be in survey (ie not required to undergo regular mandated inspection). These are low-risk operations involving vessels less than 7.5 metres in sheltered waters. The National Standard addresses three main problems associated with the current approach to regulating such vessels. Firstly, it creates national consistency in regulatory requirements, which reduces confusion and costs across states & territories. Secondly, it reduces regulatory complexity as the current requirements rely on varying layers of regulation. Finally, it better reflects the risks to crew and passengers of operating such vessels than the various current state requirements. The impacts of the National Standard will vary by jurisdiction and by vessel type. Overall the impact on the industry is expected to be a reduction in costs. In particular, construction and survey costs are expected to fall significantly for some vessels in most jurisdictions. The changes were generally supported by industry and come into effect nationally on 1 July 2013. The RIS was prepared by the National Marine Safety Committee and assessed as adequate by the Office of Best Practice Regulation.
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