Boating : BOATING LICENCE PRACTICAL LOG BOOK – FACT SHEET (AUSTRALIA)

1. When will it be compulsory to comply with practical boating experience requirements? It will be compulsory from 1 June 2009, for new general and PWC licence applicants. The introduction of a practical boating experience requirement was announced on the 4 June 2008 as part of the major reforms to marine safety laws.

2. Will applicants for a boat licence be required to pay a fee to obtain the Logbook? There is no charge for the Logbook.

3. What constitutes an experienced skipper? An experienced skipper is someone who holds a current boat licence and has held that licence for a minimum of 3 years.

4. Must the Boating Safety Course be completed prior to gaining practical boating experience? No. Practical boating experience and Boating Safety Course requirements can be completed in any order, but both must be done before sitting the written licence test.

5. Once the Boating Safety Course and practical boating experience have been complied with, where can the licence test be undertaken? On presentation of documents showing completion of the Boating Safety Course and practical boating experience, the licence test can be undertaken at any NSW Maritime operations centre, RTA Motor Registry, Government Access Centre or Recognised Training Provider.

6. Will the Logbook be audited? Yes. NSW Maritime will undertake random audits to verify that licence seekers have honestly completed the Logbook.

7. What will happen if it is found that the Logbook details are false? The boat licence will be immediately cancelled. The Boating Safety Course, practical boating experience and the licence test will need to be satisfied again before a new licence is issued. The maximum penalty for such an offence is $5,500.

8. How does the NSW boat licensing system compare to other marine jurisdictions in Australia? NSW has some of the toughest licence requirements in Australia which in turn has some of the toughest requirements in the world (for example the USA and UK have no recreational boat licences). NSW was the first State to introduce a formal boat licensing system (1962). Minister Tripodi introduced major changes to the scheme in 2005 toughening the licence tests and again in 2006 when it became compulsory to undertake a Boating Safety Course before sitting for the licence test. The practical boating experience to come into effect from 1/6/09 sees NSW being the first jurisdiction to introduce a concise logbook, based on National Marine Safety Guidelines for Recreational Boat Operator Competencies.