Commonwealth of Australia
AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY
Radiocommunications Act 1992
Notice under subsection 136(1) of the Radiocommunications Act 1992
NOTICE OF PROPOSAL TO VARY THE RADIOCOMMUNICATIONS (MARITIME SHIP STATION) CLASS LICENCE 2025
Notice is given under subsection 136(1) of the Radiocommunications Act 1992 (the Act) that the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) proposes to vary the Radiocommunications (Maritime Ship Station) Class Licence 2025 (the class licence) by making the Radiocommunications (Maritime Licensing) Amendment Instrument 2026 (No.1) (the amendment instrument) under, relevantly, subsection 132(1) of the Act.
The class licence is available, free of charge, on the Federal Register of Legislation (www.legislation.gov.au).
Copies of the amendment instrument and a consultation paper explaining the proposed changes in more detail are available on the ACMA’s website (www.acma.gov.au).
Proposed changes
The class licence authorises the use of maritime ship stations on board Australian ships to communicate with other stations. The operation of stations under the class licence must be in accordance with licence conditions, such as holding one of the relevant qualifications as set out in the class licence. The class licence replaced the Radiocommunications (Maritime Ship Station – 27 MHz and VHF) Class Licence 2015 (the 2015 class licence).
The amendment instrument proposes to include qualification requirements for maritime ship stations using satellite frequencies specified in the class licence. The qualification requirements were previously included in the Radiocommunications (Communication with Space Object) Class Licence 2015 (the 2015 space object class licence), which authorised the use of satellite systems with numerous or ubiquitous earth stations. The 2015 space object class licence has been replaced by the Radiocommunications (Communication with Space Object) Class Licence 2025, which does not include the qualification requirements.
The amendment should have little effect on persons who have been operating maritime ship stations under the 2015 class licence, as most maritime ship station communication with satellites would previously have occurred under the 2015 space object class licence, and so such persons would have had to have met the qualification requirements. Persons who first commenced operating maritime ship stations to communicate with satellites under the class licence would not have been required to meet the qualification requirements, and may need to obtain qualifications to continue to operate the maritime ship stations. However, as he ACMA marine radio qualifications webpages have continuously specified the qualification requirements for maritime ship stations using satellite frequencies for close to 20 years, there should not be many such persons.
Comments
Under section 136 of the Act, the ACMA is inviting interested persons to make representations about the proposed changes to be made to the class licence by the amendment instrument.
Interested persons are invited to make representations about the proposed variation no later than 5 February 2026. Representations should be in writing and should be addressed to:
The Manager
Spectrum Licensing Policy Section
Australian Communications and Media Authority
PO Box 13112
Law Courts
Melbourne VIC 8010
or by email to: SLPSConsultations@acma.gov.au