WA welcomes major marine safety conference

WESTERN Australia is getting ready to welcome visiting speakers and delegates from overseas and around Australia to the national Marine Safety Conference being held at the Burswood Entertainment Complex in Perth from 22 to 24 August.

Themed “Safe Passage to a Marine Nation”, the conference has been organised by the National Marine Safety Committee (NMSC).

US Coast Guard’s boating manager Jeff Hoedt, and Colin Chamberlain, who won ABC Television’s “New Inventor of the Year 2009” for his new safety propeller design, are just two of the 35-strong fleet of experts set to present at the conference.

Jeff Hoedt said he’s looking forward to coming to Australia “to share the US Coast Guard’s best practice in boating safety and marine rescue” and is part of the two-day program packed with other international experts including Irish Water Safety’s John Leech, Canadian FishSafe’s Gina Johansen, Michigan State University’s Dr Ed Mahoney and Maritime New Zealand’s Catherine Taylor.

WA’s Minister for Transport Simon O’Brien will officially open the conference and several Western Australian marine experts are on board.

Geoff Ellis president of the Boating Industry Association of WA said it is fitting the conference is coming to Perth.

“WA is a terrific location for a forum of this kind,” Ellis said.

“We have a far reaching maritime industry and our state is the nation’s second biggest manufacturer of boats and the largest in terms of custom-built vessels.”

NMSC CEO Margie O’Tarpey said the program offers something for everyone interested in marine safety:

“Anyone from a large commercial designer, manufacturer or operator to a marine authority, surveyor, safety researcher or local boat owner,” said O'Tarpey.

“Panels have been formed on sustainable fishing, marine surveying and the Navigation Act as well as the plenary panel on the future single national jurisdiction for the maritime sector,” she said.

O’Tarpey is pleased to see the program expanding to include several discussion panels, the official launch of the National Boating Usage Study final report and post-conference forums in recreational boating and marine surveying.

A free half-day recreational boating forum on 25 August, organised through the Australian and New Zealand Safe Boating Education Group (ANZSBEG), will interest both its members and the general boating sector. Issues on the table include marine radio communications and Personal Water Craft (PWC) “anti-hoon” legislation.

The Australasian Institute of Marine Surveyors (AIMS) is also holding its bi-annual meeting on 25 August in nearby Fremantle to take advantage of the conference program.

O’Tarpey urged stakeholders to take the opportunity to hear from the international marine safety experts from Canada, Ireland, the US and New Zealand.

“For many of these speakers, the Perth conference will be their only Australian port of call in terms of a large, inclusive forum.”

The conference is sponsored by Club Marine; Department of Transport WA ; Australian Maritime Safety Authority; Frequentis; NSW Maritime; Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government; Transport SA; Maritime Safety Queensland; Mobilarm; and the Industrial Foundation for Accident Prevention.

For program, registration and exhibitor information phone (02) 9247 2124 or go to www.nmsc.gov.au and click on the ‘Marine Safety Conference 2010’ icon on the homepage.