{"id":"F2024L01027","name":"Coastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Act 2012 Section 11 Exemption for Cruise Vessels 2024","slug":"f2024l01027","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":319510,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2024L01027-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-08","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Coastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Act 2012 Section 11 Exemption for Cruise Vessels 2024","content":"![Crest of the Australian Government](image.001.jpeg)\n\nCoastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Act 2012\n\nSection 11 exemption for cruise vessels 2024\n\nI, CATHERINE FIONA KING, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, for the purposes of section 11 of the Coastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Act 2012, having taken into account all relevant considerations, hereby direct that the Coastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Act 2012 does not apply to all cruise vessels in excess of 5,000 gross tonnes and meeting the criteria detailed below.\n\nSpecifications of vessels to which the exemption applies and conditions on which the exemption is given\n\nThis exemption applies to vessels in excess of 5,000 gross tonnes which are:\n\n(a) capable of a speed of at least 15 knots;\n\n(b) capable of carrying at least 100 passengers; and\n\n(c) utilised wholly or primarily for the carriage of passengers between any ports in the Commonwealth or in the Territories, except between Victoria and Tasmania.\n\nThis exemption has effect for the period commencing from 1 January 2025 and ceasing on 31 December 2026.\n\nCatherine King\n\nMinister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government\n\nDated 9 August 2024","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The direction narrows the Coastal Trading Act's application by exempting a defined class of cruise vessels for a two‑year period (1 Jan 2025–31 Dec 2026) subject to technical and usage criteria and excluding Victoria–Tasmania voyages. Mechanically, it reduces the set of vessels regulated under the Act during that period, shifting compliance and enforcement determinations to tests of size, speed, passenger capacity and primary use as specified in the instrument."},"complexity_factors":["Ministerial discretion: instrument issued under s.11 creates an exemption by direction rather than by legislative amendment, concentrating decision power in the Minister.","Technical thresholds: multiple measurable criteria (gross tonnage >5,000; speed ≥15 knots; passenger capacity ≥100) require verification and evidence.","Operational criterion ambiguity: phrase 'utilised wholly or primarily for the carriage of passengers' raises interpretive and evidentiary questions for enforcement and compliance.","Temporal limitation: fixed start and end dates (1 Jan 2025–31 Dec 2026) create a discrete compliance window and potential need for renewal or transition planning.","Geographic carve‑out: explicit exclusion of voyages between Victoria and Tasmania adds a routing-based scope determination.","Interaction with existing law: the exemption alters which vessels are subject to the Coastal Trading Act, requiring authorities and operators to determine applicable obligations across regimes."],"plain_english_summary":"This ministerial direction (under section 11 of the Coastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Act 2012) exempts cruise vessels over 5,000 gross tonnes that meet specified speed, passenger-capacity and usage conditions from the Act for 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2026, excluding voyages between Victoria and Tasmania. It affects cruise operators and ports by removing particular coastal trading obligations for eligible vessels, shifting compliance, commercial choices and enforcement questions onto operators who must meet the technical and operational criteria set out in the instrument."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument operates exactly as intended by the parent Act—section 11 of the Coastal Trading Act specifically provides for ministerial exemptions from the licensing regime. The exemption is narrow (large cruise vessels only), time-limited (2 years), and geographically restricted (excluding Bass Strait). It does not expand beyond the original statutory purpose of allowing targeted exemptions for specific vessel classes."},"complexity_factors":["Single operative provision (section 11 exemption) with no cross-references to other legislation","Only 3 substantive criteria for vessel eligibility (tonnage, speed, passenger capacity)","One explicit exclusion (Victoria–Tasmania routes)","Fixed temporal scope (definite start and end dates)","No defined terms section, no nested conditions, no exceptions to exceptions","Total length: approximately 200 words"],"plain_english_summary":"This ministerial exemption temporarily removes Australia’s coastal trading restrictions for large international cruise ships, letting vessels over 5,000 GT carrying 100+ passengers operate between Australian ports (except Victoria–Tasmania) without licences. Effective 1 Jan 2025–31 Dec 2026, it expands domestic cruise options and tourism but reduces protections for Australian shipping and crews by allowing foreign operators to compete on these routes."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/f2024l01027","history":"/api/acts/f2024l01027/history","analysis":"/api/acts/f2024l01027/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/f2024l01027/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/f2024l01027/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/f2024l01027/documents"}}