Victoria's safety equipment rules are organised by water type. Regulation 61 of the Marine Safety Regulations 2023 requires a recreational vessel to carry the compulsory items listed for its class in the tables of Schedule 3: Table A applies on coastal waters, Tables C and D on enclosed waters, and Tables E and F on inland waters, with Table G setting the standards the items must meet. The lifejacket rules are separate and stricter: a child under 12 on an open area must wear one whenever the vessel is underway (regulation 68), and a person being towed must wear one at all times (regulation 69), each backed by 20 penalty units.
Under the safety equipment rules, on which waters does the offence apply for being master of a recreational vessel of a class in Table A of Part 2 of Schedule 3 that is not equipped with the compulsory items of equipment?
Based on: Marine Safety Regulations reg 61(1)
For recreational vessels in the classes listed under the first four subregulations of the safety equipment rule, what is the penalty for being master of such a vessel that is not equipped with the compulsory items of equipment?
Based on: Marine Safety Regulations reg 61(1)-(4)
Tables C and D of Part 2 of Schedule 3 specify classes of recreational vessel for the compulsory equipment requirement. On which waters do those two tables apply?
Based on: Marine Safety Regulations reg 61(3)-(4)
Tables E and F of Part 2 of Schedule 3 specify classes of recreational vessel for the compulsory equipment requirement. On which waters do those two tables apply?
Based on: Marine Safety Regulations reg 61(5)-(6)
Which table in Part 2 of Schedule 3 sets the requirements that the compulsory items of equipment carried on board a recreational vessel must comply with?
Based on: Marine Safety Regulations reg 61(7)
Under the safety equipment rule, what does the quantity for a compulsory item of equipment correspond to in Schedule 3?
Based on: Marine Safety Regulations reg 61(8)
In which column of a Schedule 3 table are the actual items of equipment for a vessel class listed?
Based on: Marine Safety Regulations reg 61(8)
When a quantity in Column 4 of a Schedule 3 table is accompanied by a description of a condition, when does that item become a compulsory item of equipment?
Based on: Marine Safety Regulations reg 61(9)
In the worked example given, a compass is only a compulsory item for a recreational vessel on coastal waters if the vessel operates beyond what distance from the coast?
Based on: Marine Safety Regulations reg 61(9) example 2
In the worked example given, when is a bailer a compulsory item of equipment for a mechanically powered recreational vessel?
Based on: Marine Safety Regulations reg 61(9) example 1
For each vessel class, the compulsory items are the ones listed in Column 3 of the relevant table, in the quantity in Column 4, and being master of a vessel without them costs 20 penalty units per subregulation of regulation 61. Some items are conditional: where Column 4 attaches a condition, the item is compulsory only when the condition is met. The regulation's own worked examples are exam favourites. A compass is compulsory on coastal waters only if the vessel operates more than 2 nautical miles from the coast, and a bailer is compulsory on a mechanically powered vessel only if there is no electric or manual bilge pumping system on board. Whatever is carried must also comply with the requirements of Table G, again at 20 penalty units.
A recreational vessel other than a personal watercraft that carries fuel, or has an electric start motor, gas installation or fuel stove, must carry portable fire extinguishers: the number comes from the vessel's size under Table H, and the minimum capacity of at least one extinguisher from the volume of flammable or combustible liquids the vessel can carry under Table I (regulation 62). One extinguisher must sit adjacent to the engine and fuel spaces and be readily accessible, unless a fixed system is fitted to the enclosed engine compartment, and multiple extinguishers must be located in separate positions (regulation 63, 15 penalty units). Cooking facilities in an enclosed space demand a fire blanket complying with AS/NZS 3504:2006, conspicuous and readily accessible to the cook (15 penalty units). Regulation 64 then keeps everything honest: required equipment must be conspicuous, readily accessible and in good order at all times (15 penalty units), maintained so it works as designed, and serviced on or before the manufacturer's specified date.
Regulation 68 requires the master to ensure every person aged under 12 on an open area of a listed vessel wears a compulsory lifejacket at all times while the vessel is underway, on coastal waters (Schedule 4 Tables A and D) and inland waters (Tables C and F) alike. Regulation 69 requires a person being towed to wear one at all times, and the towed person themselves wears the 20 penalty unit exposure. The definitions matter for one or two marks: a level 100 plus lifejacket complies with AS 4758.1:2022 at buoyancy level 275, 150 or 100, or any standard the Safety Director approves; level 50 and level 50S jackets map to those AS 4758.1:2022 levels; and the older type 1, type 2 and type 3 categories are defined against legacy standards such as AS 1512-1996, AS 1499-1996 and AS 4758.1:2015, plus ISO 12402 performance levels.
| Classification | Qualifying standards (from the Regulations) |
|---|---|
| Level 100 plus | AS 4758.1:2022 at level 275, 150 or 100, or a Safety Director approved standard |
| Level 50 | AS 4758.1:2022 at level 50, or a Safety Director approved standard |
| Level 50S | AS 4758.1:2022 at level 50S, or a standard that substantially complies |
| Type 1 | AS 1512-1996; AS 4758.1-2008 at level 275, 150 or 100; ISO 12402-2, -3 or -4:2006(E) |
| Type 2 | AS 1499-1996; AS 4758.1-2008 at level 50; ISO 12402-5:2006(E); BS EN 393:1994 |
| Type 3 | AS 4758.1:2015 Lifejackets Part 1: General requirements |
Whenever the vessel is underway, if the child is under 12 and on an open area of a vessel listed in Schedule 4. Regulation 68 of the Marine Safety Regulations 2023 puts the duty on the master, who faces 20 penalty units for each failure, and it applies across coastal waters (Tables A and D), and inland waters (Tables C and F).
Yes, at all times. Regulation 69 of the Marine Safety Regulations 2023 requires a person being towed by a vessel to wear a compulsory lifejacket at all times, and the penalty of 20 penalty units falls on the towed person. This sits alongside regulation 60's separate requirement for an observer on board whenever a person is towed.
The compulsory items listed for your vessel's class in Schedule 3 of the Marine Safety Regulations 2023, which vary by water type: Table A covers coastal waters, Tables C and D enclosed waters, and Tables E and F inland waters. Items must meet the standards in Table G, and being master of a vessel without the required items costs 20 penalty units (regulation 61).
When the vessel (other than a personal watercraft) carries fuel on board or is equipped with an electric start motor, gas installation or fuel stove (regulation 62 of the Marine Safety Regulations 2023). The number of extinguishers depends on vessel size under Table H, and one must be positioned adjacent to the engine and fuel spaces and readily accessible unless a fixed system is fitted (regulation 63).
Only if the vessel operates more than 2 nautical miles from the coast. That is the worked example in regulation 61(9) of the Marine Safety Regulations 2023 of a conditional item: where the Schedule 3 table attaches a condition to an item's quantity, the item becomes compulsory only when the condition is met. The same logic makes a bailer compulsory only if there is no bilge pumping system on board.
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