Chief Executive Column

I start this message with a note of condolence to the families of the victims and survivors of the 1 May Sydney Harbour boating incident that claimed six lives, and express our thanks to the good Samaritans who joined the rescue and the emergency services who responded so promptly. NSW Maritime has been heavily involved in the post-incident response and investigation and a number of staff have worked tirelessly since this tragic and avoidable crash. It was an unfortunate incident with a needless loss of life. The impact on families, friends and communities will be dramatic and long term. The investigation will shed light on the circumstances that led to such a tragedy but I am sure it will not be one small error but many small things including decisions made hours before the crash and errors of judgement.

Whilst our incident statistics show NSW has a good overall maritime safety track record, this doesn’t mean we can ever afford to be complacent in building and improving the safety culture in our boating communities. Incidents like this drive home one of the fundamental reasons NSW Maritime exists and safety is, and will remain, a key part our core business.  This is a time for reflection, to question what we do, how we do it, and how we could do it better.

It has been a busy time since saying farewell to Chris Oxenbould at the end of March, and taking over as Acting Chief Executive. Chris was Chief Executive of NSW Maritime since January 2004. He was well regarded for his achievements at NSW Maritime and within the NSW Government following on from a long and distinguished career in the Navy. I wish him well.

Maritime issues have played a key role in my life. I grew up on the Cornish coast, studied at the Marine Studies Institute in Plymouth, worked as a commercial fisherman, diving instructor, and power boat handling instructor and examiner, and more recently had a 15 year career with NSW Fisheries with five years as their Director General. I am an experienced regulator and well used to the challenges of legislation and policy development.

There are literally dozens of strategic activities underway at NSW Maritime – ranging from legislation reviews to organising the aquatic elements of the Pope’s visit as part of World Youth Day in July, to a host of new policies under development. All of this is on top of the work being done by our Boating Service Officers and Customer Service Officers - to keep our waterways safe - the harbour cleaners, who keep our iconic Sydney Harbour tidy, and the Ports team and their many projects underpinning a massive ports expansion program across the State.

Until the Chief Executive’s position is filled, I look forward to working closely with the Government and to leading the organisation through an interesting and challenging period.