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Commonwealth legislation
This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.
This 1968 regulation imposes mandatory radio-communication safety standards for Australian ships, ensuring vessels of different classes carry and maintain appropriate radio gear so they can send distress calls and stay in contact at sea.
It affects shipowners, masters and radio operators by requiring reliable equipment, qualified personnel, continuous watchkeeping, lifeboat radios, technical testing and record-keeping, with staged transition periods to meet the new technical schedules.
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Direct links to the current provisions in Navigation (Radio) Regulations.
Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
STATUTORY RULES
1968 No. 39
REGULATIONS UNDER THE NAVIGATION ACT 1912-1967.*
I
, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following Regulations under the Navigation Act 1912-1967.
Dated this twentieth day of March, 1968.
CASEY
Governor-General.
By His Excellency’s Command,
(Sgd.) Ian Sinclair
Minister of State for Shipping and Transport.
NAVIGATION (RADIO) REGULATIONS
Part I.—Preliminary.
Citation.
1. These Regulations may be cited as the Navigation (Radio) Regulations.
Repeal.
Parts.
3. These Regulations are divided into Parts, as follows:—
Part I.—Preliminary (Regulations 1-6).
Part II.—General Provisions (Regulations 7-15).
Part III.—Radiotelegraph Ships (Regulations 16-32).
Part IV.—Radiotelegraphy Equipment in or for Lifeboats and Liferafts (Regulations 33-35).
Part V.—Radiotelephone Ships (Regulations 36-46).
Part VI.—Qualifications of Radio Officers and Wireless Signallers (Regulations 47-48).
Part VII.—Transitional Provisions (Regulations 49-57).
Interpretation.
4.—(1.) In these Regulations, unless the contrary intention appears—
“approved” means approved by the Minister, the Postmaster-General or an authorized officer;
“at sea”, in relation to radio watch-keeping, means the period occupied in a voyage between the berth at one port of call and the berth at the next port of call;
“authorized officer” means a person who is an authorized officer for the purposes of regulation 26 of the Wireless Telegraphy Regulations;
“auto-alarm” means an apparatus of an approved type for automatically receiving and registering an alarm signal, being an apparatus that complies with the requirements specified in the Fifth Schedule;
“Class I. ship” means a passenger ship carrying, or authorized to carry, more than two hundred and fifty passengers;
* Notified in the Commonwealth Gazette on 1968.
8038/67—Price 45c 5/6.3.1968
“Class II. (a) ship” means a passenger ship that is not a Class I. ship or a Class III (b) ship;
“Class II. (b) ship” means a cargo ship of not less than one thousand six hundred tons that is not a Class III. (b) ship;
“Class III. (a) ship” means a cargo ship of less than one thousand six hundred tons but of not less than seven hundred and fifty tons;
“Class III. (b) ship” means—
(a) a ship wholly engaged in the carriage of persons, stores and equipment in connexion with the operation off the coast of Australia or of a Territory of the Commonwealth of oil rigs or other structures for the purposes of the exploration for, or the exploitation of, petroleum resources; or
(b) a ship (other than a ship carrying passengers or goods for hire or engaged in an international voyage) wholly engaged in activities approved by the Minister for the purposes of this paragraph,
but does not include a Class I. ship, a Class III. (a) ship, a Class IV. (a) ship, a Class IV. (b) ship or a Class V. ship;
“Class IV. (a) ship” means a cargo ship of less than seven hundred and fifty tons but of not less than three hundred tons that is not a Class IV. (b) ship;
“Class IV. (b) ship” means a sailing ship of not less than three hundred tons equipped with auxiliary power;
“Class V. ship” means a ship of less than three hundred tons;
“connected” means electrically connected;
“equipment” means equipment forming part of a radio installation;
“existing installation” means—
(a) an installation wholly installed before the commencement of these Regulations; or
(b) an installation part of which was installed before the commencement of these Regulations and the remainder of which consists either of—
(i) parts installed in replacement of identical parts; or
(ii) parts which comply with the requirements of these Regulations;
“new installation” means an installation installed on a ship after the commencement of these Regulations and includes an installation that replaces an existing installation:
“new ship” means a ship the keel of which was laid after the commencement of these Regulations;
“operating position”, in relation to any equipment, means the position normally occupied by a person when operating that equipment;
“petroleum” has the same meaning as in the Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1967;
“radio surveyor” means a person, being a person skilled with regard to radio installations, appointed under section 190 of the Act to be a surveyor;
“radiotelegraph ship” means a ship that is equipped with a radiotelegraphy installation in pursuance of these Regulations;
“radiotelephony distress frequency” means the frequency of two thousand one hundred and eighty-two kilocycles per second;
“radiotelephone ship” means a ship that is equipped with a radiotelephony installation in pursuance of these Regulations;
“radio watch” means, in the case of a radiotelegraph ship, listening on the frequency of five hundred kilocycles per second and, in the case of a radiotelephone ship, listening on the frequency of two thousand one hundred and eighty-two kilocycles per second;
“Regional Controller” means an officer for the time being performing the duties of an office of Regional Controller, Department of Shipping and Transport;
“ship” does not include—
(a) a Safety Convention ship in respect of which there is in force a valid Safety Convention certificate showing that the ship—
(i) complies with such of the requirements of the Safety Convention as relate to radio installations and radio navigational aids; or
(ii) is wholly exempt from those requirements or is partly exempt and complies with those requirements to the extent to which she is not exempt;
(b) a ship trading exclusively between ports not more than twenty-five miles apart;
(c) a ship being towed by another ship where that other ship is provided with a radiotelegraphy or radiotelephony installation that complies with these Regulations;
(d) a river and bay ship;
(e) a sailing ship not equipped with auxiliary power; or
(f) an unpowered barge;
“silence periods” means—
(a) in the case of a radiotelegraph ship—periods of three minutes beginning at the expiration of fifteen minutes and forty-five minutes, respectively, after each hour of each day reckoned according to Greenwich Mean Time; and
(b) in the case of a radiotelephone ship—periods of three minutes beginning at each hour, and at the expiration of thirty minutes after each hour, of each day reckoned according to Greenwich Mean Time;
“the Act” means the Navigation Act 1912-1967;
“the radiotelegraph room”, in relation to a radiotelegraph ship, means a room or adjoining rooms on the ship that is, or are, exclusively appropriated for the operation of the radio installation;
“the Wireless Telegraphy Regulations” means the Wireless Telegraphy Regulations in force from time to time under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1905-1966.
(2.) Where a word or phrase used in these Regulations is defined in section 187a of the Act, that word or phrase as so used shall, unless the contrary intention appears, have the meaning given to it in that section.
(3.) In these Regulations—
(a) a reference to the tonnage of a ship shall be read as a reference to the gross registered tonnage of the ship;
(b) a reference to a Schedule shall be read as a reference to a Schedule to these Regulations;
(c) a reference to a wave, emission or signal of type A1 shall be read as a reference to radiotelegraphy by the keying of a continuous emission on and off;
(d) a reference to a wave, emission or signal of type A2 shall be read as a reference to amplitude modulated radiotelegraphy by the keying of a modulating audio-frequency or of an emission continuously modulated by an audio-frequency;
(e) a reference to a wave, emission or signal of type A3 shall be read as a reference to double sideband amplitude modulated radiotelephony; and
(f) a reference to a wave or emission of type B shall be read as a reference to a damped emission.
(4.) Parts II. to V. (inclusive) of these Regulations shall be read and construed subject to Part VII. of these Regulations.
Exemptions.
5.—(1.) The Minister may—
(a) exempt—
(i) a Class II. (b) ship; or
(ii) a Class III. (a) ship that is a radiotelegraph ship,
from all or any of the requirements of Part III. and Part VI. of these Regulations;
(b) exempt—
(i) a class III. (a) ship that is a radiotelephone ship; or
(ii) a Class III. (b) ship, a Class IV. (a) ship, a Class IV. (b) ship or a Class V. ship,
from all or any of the requirements of Part V. and Part VI. of these Regulations; and
(c) exempt—
(i) a ship registered in a country to which the Safety Convention does not apply; or
(ii) a ship of less than three hundred tons registered in a country to which the Safely Convention applies,
from all or any of the requirements of Division 6a of Part IV. of the Act and of these Regulations.
(2). Where the Minister is satisfied, as regards any ship, that compliance with a requirement of these Regulations is, in the circumstances of the case, unnecessary to secure the safely of the ship and of the persons on board, he may exempt the ship from the requirement.
(3.) Where—
(a) it is proposed to use a ship to make a voyage in the course of trade or commerce among the States;
(b) the ship is not a ship that is regularly engaged in trade or commerce among the States; and
(c) the ship is equipped with a radio installation that a Regional Controller considers satisfactory for the purposes of the voyage,
the Regional Controller may exempt the ship from the requirements of these Regulations during the period of the voyage.
(4.) An exemption under this regulation may be unconditional or subject to such conditions as the Minister or a Regional Controller, as the case may be, thinks fit.
Equivalent.
6.—(1.) Where a provision of these Regulations requires a particular fitting, material, appliance or apparatus, or type thereof, to be fitted or carried in a ship or a particular provision to be made in a ship, the Minister may allow any other fitting, material, appliance or apparatus, or type thereof, to be fitted or carried, or any other provision to be made, if he is satisfied that the other fitting, material, appliance or apparatus, or type thereof, or provision, is at least as effective as that required by that provision of these Regulations.
(2.) The reference in the last preceding sub-regulation to a fitting, material, appliance or apparatus, or type thereof, or provision to be made in a ship shall not be read as including a reference to a fitting, material, appliance or apparatus, or type thereof, or provision to be made in a ship, in respect of which the Minister may exercise the powers conferred by sub-section (2.) of section 191a of the Act.
Part II.—General Provisions.
Provision of radio-telegraphy installation.
7—(1.) Subject to these Regulations—
(a) a Class I. ship;
(b) a Class II. (a) ship;
(c) a Class II. (b) ship;
(d) a Class III. (a) ship that is engaged on an international voyage; or
(e) a Class III. (a) ship that is not a radiotelephone ship,
shall be equipped with a radiotelegraphy installation.
(2.) A radiotelegraphy installation that is installed in a ship in pursuance of this regulation shall comply with the First Schedule.
(3.) The main and reserve radiotelegraphy transmitters in a Class III. (a) ship may be combined in a single instrument if that instrument complies with the requirements of the First Schedule in relation to those transmitters.
Provision of radio-telephony installation.
8.—(1.) Subject to these Regulations—
(a) a Class III. (a) ship that is not a radiotelegraph ship; or
(b) a Class III. (b) ship,
shall be equipped with a main radiotelephony installation and a reserve radio-telephony installation.
(2.) Subject to these Regulations, a Class IV. (a) ship, a Class IV. (b) ship or a Class V. ship shall be equipped with a radiotelephony installation (in these Regulations referred to as a main radiotelephony installation).
(3.) A main radiotelephony installation installed in a ship in pursuance of this regulation shall comply with Part 1 of the Second Schedule.
(4.) A reserve radiotelephony installation installed in a ship in pursuance of this regulation shall comply with Part 2 of the Second Schedule.
Climatic and durability tests.
9.—(1.) Equipment that forms part of a radio installation with which a ship is equipped in pursuance of these Regulations, or is included in radiotelegraphy equipment carried on a ship in pursuance of the Navigation (Life-saving Appliances) Regulations shall be such that—
(a) when undergoing the vibration, dry heat and low temperature tests in accordance with the Third Schedule;
(b) when subject to the damp heat test in accordance with that Schedule; and
(c) immediately after undergoing, in accordance with that Schedule, such other tests specified in that Schedule as are applicable to the equipment,
it complies with the requirements of these Regulations and is free from mechanical defects.
(2.) Equipment referred to in the last preceding sub-regulation that is intended for use in the open or in an open boat shall be such that, after undergoing the mould growth test specified in the Third Schedule, mould growth is not present on it.
Interference, &c.
Maintenance of radio installation.
High voltage parts.
12.—(1.) This regulation applies to parts and wiring of equipment with which a ship is equipped in pursuance of these Regulations that at any time are at an instantaneous voltage (other than radio-frequency voltage) exceeding fifty volts.
(2.) Parts and wiring to which this regulation applies—
(a) shall be protected from accidental access; and
(b) shall, subject to the next succeeding sub-regulation, be so arranged that, if the means of protection are removed from any part or wiring, the part or wiring is isolated automatically from all sources of electrical energy.
(3.) Paragraph (b) of the last preceding sub-regulation does not apply in relation to—
(a) a generator or a converter; or
(b) any other equipment (other than equipment specified in the Fourth Schedule) that is not at any time at an instantaneous voltage (other than radio-frequency voltage) exceeding two hundred and fifty volts.
(4.) Capacitors in a transmitter to which this regulation applies shall be capable of being discharged.
Batteries.
13.—(1.) Batteries provided as a source of electrical energy for any equipment with which a ship is equipped in pursuance of these Regulations shall, as far as practicable, be so placed as to secure the greatest degree of safety and protection.
(2.) Means shall be provided for the charging from the ship’s main source of electrical energy of batteries referred to in the last preceding sub-regulation.
(3.) In the case of a new installation with which a ship is equipped in pursuance of these Regulations, if the means of charging the batteries is a rotary converter an alternative means of charging the batteries shall be provided.
Exemption of certain ships from requirements to keep a radio log-book.
This is an opening excerpt, not the complete document.