Coast guards in Australia

Australia, with 19,650 kilometres of coastline does not have a force purely to defend its coast. The duty of patrolling the Australian coastline falls to the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (through its Coastwatch division), and the Police services of the states. In addition, there are several private volunteer coast guard organisations, the two largest rival organisations being the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol (established in 1937 as the Volunteer Coastal Patrol) and the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard (established in 1961). These volunteer organisations have no law enforcement powers, but are essentially auxiliary Search and Rescue services. In July 2009 the three organisations (Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol, Australian Volunteer Coast Guard and some units of the Volunteer Rescue Association's Marine Branch) united under the government sponsored^[1] Marine Rescue NSW.^[2]

Australian Volunteer Coast Guard

Australian Volunteer Coastguard vessel

The Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Association is Australia’s largest and only national volunteer marine rescue organisation. Established in 1961, and modelled on the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Association is an organisation composed entirely of volunteers. It guards the coast in the most effective way - initially by education, example, examination and finally by search and rescue.

The Australian Volunteer Coast Guard has no law enforcement powers and enjoys a reputation for being helpful and courteous to all boat owners.

Australia, the world’s largest island, has a coastline of nearly 20 000 km. (12 200 miles). 90% of Australia's population of 22 million live within 120 km of the coast and over 70% live in the coastal belt from Cairns in Queensland to Adelaide in South Australia.

Flotillas and radio bases are located from the Skardon River in the Gulf of Carpentaria, down the eastern seaboard to Ceduna in South Australia, including Tasmania and major inland lakes and weirs. Coast Guard currently has more than 2,500 Regular members and 9,000 Associate members. Expansion is continuing in areas of need.

Coast Guard resources across Australia include:

• 107 Association-owned rescue vessels
• 147 radio bases under the control of 72 local flotillas
• 30 communication and display vans and 4WD vehicles
• Registered Training Organisations delivering competency based training
• Formal affiliations and collaborations with similar organisations in Australia, New Zealand, North America, the Philippines and Europe.

Coast Guard services include:

• Public Education Courses

Covering Boat license testing and safe boating seminars [where applicable] Basic Seamanship, Marine Radio Procedures, Navigation and Bar Crossing
• Training
Coast Guard is the only dedicated marine rescue Registered Training Organization with courses accredited nationally
• Safety Patrols
Association and member owned vessels patrol our waterways assisting the public with safe boating advice, mechanical problems and responding to distress calls when they occur. All rescue vessels are on 24-hour standby.
• Radio Monitoring
Each flotilla has radio facilities monitoring marine distress frequencies including VHF Channel 16, 27 MHz Channel 88 and HF band 2182 kHz.
• Log On – Log Off
Coast Guard Radio Bases will keep track of recreational boaters whilst on a coastal passage or moving in and out of the same port
• Search & Rescue
Coast Guard works closely with the State Water Police and other volunteer rescue organisations in search and rescue operations

For further information, visit http://www.coastguard.com.au

Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol

In 1936 Commander Rupert Long, OBE, RAN, Director of Naval Intelligence raised with retired Captain Maurice Blackwood, DSO, RN the possibility of raising a group of trained yachtsmen as a Naval Auxiliary Service. Discussions were held with HWG Nobbs and W Giles, both Sydney yachtsmen and a proposal sent to the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board that a Volunteer Coastal Patrol be established under the command of Captain Blackwood. The Naval Board supported this and on the 27 March 1937 the Volunteer Coastal Patrol was established under the command of Captain Blackwood, DSO, RN (rtd) with H.W.G. Nobbs as Staff Officer Operations and W Giles as Staff Officer Administration.

During World War II Coastal Patrol members became special constables and guarded commercial wharves, oil installations and bridges. By the war's end, patrol vessels had patrolled 128,000 miles of harbour and coastal waters and donated 393,000 man-hours of unpaid war service. They were granted the right to fly the Police Nemesis pennant as recognition of this service and the right to fly the New South Wales State Flag as their ensign.

Post war development saw the Patrol undertake civilian search and rescue operations as their primary role but maintain their original Royal Australian Navy inspired organisation structure, ranks and uniform. 1955 saw a democratically elected council formed which directed the development and administration of the Patrol and appointed the Officer Commanding. 1963 saw the Patrol become an incorporated company and the articles of association written. In 1974, Her Majesty the Queen granted the Patrol the privilege of adding the Royal prefix to its title when it became the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol.

Today the Patrol works closely with all government agencies in search and rescue and education to the boating public. They maintain constant watch in Radio Bases for marine traffic, work with the Water Police in search and rescue as well as crowd control at major maritime events, run education classes in seamanship, navigation, first aid and meteorology for the public as well as providing constant information to Radio Stations and TV stations regarding sea conditions etc.

All members of the Patrol are volunteers with a large proportion of their time devoted to fund raising to purchase the latest equipment and vessels.

Efforts to create a single Australian Coast Guard

After the Tampa affair, and the declaration of the War on Terrorism, in 2001 Kim Beazley announced that the Australian Labor Party, if in government, would establish an Australian Coast Guard "responsible for conducting Australia's coastal surveillance and meeting Australia's maritime protection needs, including in relation to illegal immigration, drugs, fisheries, and quarantine-related issues".^[3] This plan met with criticism. Peter Reith criticised Beazley for stating that an Australian Coast Guard both will and will not be an "answer to the question of people smuggling".^[4] The plan was criticised by the Australian government, on the grounds that it would either be prohibitively expensive or inadequate to the task. Later, the motives for the establishment of an Australian Coast Guard, where interpreted by some as "a plan to extend the capabilities of the Australian Federal Police."^[5]

In November 2008 the NSW Government announced the establishment of a new volunteer marine rescue organisation to be called Marine Rescue NSW.^[1] In July 2009 the three organisations united under the new organisation.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Marine Rescue NSW :: About Us". marinerescuensw.com.au. http://www.marinerescuensw.com.au/index.php/about/. Retrieved 6 September 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Marine rescue groups unite - Local News - News - General - Great Lakes Advocate". greatlakesadvocate.com.au. 5 August 2009. http://www.greatlakesadvocate.com.au/news/local/news/general/marine-rescue-groups-unite/1587290.aspx. Retrieved 6 September 2010. 
3. ^ Margo Kingston (2001-09-06). "The Beazley vision". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au./articles/2003/11/26/1069522647446.html.  — Kim Beazley's address to the Asia-Australia Institute at the University of New South Wales
4. ^ (Microsoft Word) Transcript of the Hon Peter Reith M.P. address to the AAA National Party breakfast, Victoria Club, Melbourne. 2001-09-14. http://www.defence.gov.au/minister/2001/140901.doc. 
5. ^ Stuart Rosewarne (2004-10-12). Engaging with the politics of fear: the Australian labour movement's fandango with the conservative putsch on the war against. University of Sydney. http://amrc.org.hk./Stuart%20Rosewarne.htm#_ftn27. 

Further reading

• Port Stephens Division of the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol. Origins of the Coastal Patrol Australia. http://www.coastalpatrol.nelsonbay.com/History.htm. 

External links

• Marine Rescue NSW Official Website
• Coastwatch Official Website
• Australian Volunteer Coast Guard official web site
• Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol official web site