Australian Maritime Safety Authority

Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is an Australian statutory authority responsible for the operation of Australian flag state activities, domestic and international commercial vessel regulation, search and rescue coordination, beacon registration and international maritime obligations. The authority has jurisdiction over Australia's exclusive economic zone which covers an area of 11,000,000 square kilometres (4,200,000 sq mi).

AMSA was established in 1990 under the Australian Maritime Safety Authority Act 1990 and is governed by the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013. As of 2025, AMSA is a statutory authority within the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts. Directors are appointed by the minister.

As part of its responsibilities AMSA administers international treaties such as the Maritime Labour Convention, International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and International Convention on Salvage. These treaties are enforced using legislative instruments such as the Navigation Act 2012 and the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983.

AMSA is funded largely through levies and cost recovery measures on the shipping industry, however since 2010-11 financial year levies income has decreased by just under $14 million. Due to this and other factors, in the 2023-24 financial year, AMSA recorded expenses of just over $263 million, with revenue at just under $255 million, creating a deficit of more than $7.8 million.