On behalf of the independent reviewers, Ms Lynelle Briggs and Emeritus Professor Nicholas Gaskell, we are seeking your feedback to inform Phase 1 of the review of the Coastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Act 2012.
Why we want your input
Your input will help inform the interim report for Phase 1 of the review of the Coastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Act 2012 (CTA). Your views will help shape the direction of the review and the final recommendations for the Australian Government to ensure that coastal trading regulation is fit-for-purpose now and in the future.How you can voice your opinion
You can provide a submission below through the survey link before 11:59 PM (AEDT) on 2 November 2024.What will be the outcome of this consultation?
Your views will help inform the interim report and recommendations the independent reviewers will provide to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. Phase 1 of this review will be finalised in early 2025 and a final report for the review is due mid-2025.The Issue
The Australian Government has committed to establishing a strategic fleet of up to 12 Australian-flagged and crewed vessels. They will be privately owned and operate on a commercial basis, but could be requisitioned by the government in times of national crisis such as natural disaster. The government appointed the Strategic Fleet Taskforce to guide the establishment of the fleet. The Taskforce provided their final report and recommendations, to government in June 2023, including that the CTA should be reviewed.
The CTA regulates Australian coastal trading by providing licences to be granted to authorise vessels to carry passengers or cargo between Australian ports (cabotage). The licensing system established under the CTA provides for 3 licence types:
- general
- temporary
- emergency
All domestic movements of cargo or passengers on interstate voyages must be authorised by one of the 3 licence types.
The CTA was introduced as a part of a major reform package in 2012 intended to revitalise the Australian shipping industry after a decline in the major shipping fleet, which fell from 55 Australian registered major trading ships with coastal trading licences in 1995-96 to 21 in 2010-11. Vessel numbers continued to decline from 2012 but have been stable since 2015, with 11 major trading vessels currently operating under a general licence.
The reviewers take the findings and recommendations of the Strategic Fleet Taskforce as their starting point.
The review will be conducted over 2 phases. Phase 1 will focus on the objectives of the CTA and how it impacts the design, structure and overall functionality of the CTA. The second phase will consider potential reforms to the CTA and the likely impacts of those reforms.
We’re seeking feedback on:
• the Objects of the Act
• the current coastal trading regulatory framework including the treatment of passengers and temporary licences, and
• Australia’s future coastal shipping needs.
The independent reviewers are conducting a separate consultation for their review of the Shipping Registration Act 1981.
Relevant documentation
Participate
03 Oct 2024 11:00 AEST
02 Nov 2024 23:59 AEDT
Closed
Please click on the 'Have your say now' button below to provide your submission.
This consultation is closed.
Privacy Collection Notice
Independent Review of the Coastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Act 2012
Your submission, including any personal information supplied, is being collected by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts ('the Department') in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988.
Use
The Department may use your submission to inform consideration of issues associated with and resulting from the Review of the Coastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Act 2012 or the Review of the Shipping Registration Act 1981, including but not limited to informing the Australian Government's response to the findings of the reviews, and consideration of future policy proposals arising from the reviews.
Disclosure
The Department may disclose your submission to the Independent Reviewers, Ms Lynelle Briggs and Prof. Nicholas Gaskell, to inform their review of the Coastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Act 2012 and review of the Shipping Registration Act 1981.
The Department may publish your submission as explained below. Otherwise your submission will not be disclosed unless authorised or required by law.
Contacting You
The Department may use your contact information to make further contact with you about your submission and the consultation process.
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Unless marked confidential (see below) submissions (including the author's name) may be published in part or full on the Department's website or in any public response by the Department. When publishing, the Department will redact any personal contact details of the author.
Confidentiality
Confidential submissions will not be published and will only be disclosed in the following circumstances:
- in response to a request by a Commonwealth Minister;
- where required by a House or a Committee of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia;
- where necessary in the public interest; or
- where authorised or required by law.
Submissions will only be treated as confidential if they are expressly stated to be confidential. Automatically generated confidentiality statements or disclaimers appended to an email do not suffice for this purpose. If you wish you make a confidential submission, you must indicate this by ensuring your submission is clearly marked confidential. Even if a submission is not marked confidential, the Department may choose not to publish it, or any part of it, in the Department's discretion (for example where it includes personal information or opinions about a third party).
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