Framework
Governing: Radiocommunications Act 1992; Radiocommunications (Maritime Ship Station) Class Licence 2025. Builds on: nothing — start here.
Three bodies, three jobs
Australian marine radio sits across two regulators and one certificate issuer. Crew coming from the MCA system, where the MCA both certificates you and the licensing is handled by Ofcom, are usually surprised that the answer to "who issued my radio ticket?" depends on which ticket.
| Body | What it does for you |
|---|---|
| ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) | Makes the licences under the Radiocommunications Act 1992: the class licence for ship stations, apparatus licences for MF/HF, and the rules on who is a qualified operator |
| Office of Maritime Communications (OMC), Australian Maritime College | Runs the examinations and issues the SROCP, LROCP and MSCE under a Deed with ACMA; describes itself as the only body in Australia that can award marine radio qualifications |
| AMSA | Issues the GMDSS radio operator certificate under the Navigation Act 2012 and Marine Order 70, recognises foreign GMDSS certificates, allocates MMSIs, registers beacons and runs the rescue coordination centre |
You will also meet AMC Search, the commercial arm of the Australian Maritime College. It runs courses (for example a two-day LROCP with satellite endorsement course), but the certificate itself comes from the OMC. Older material sometimes blurs the two.
CAUTION — Old names in circulation Handbooks and school websites still refer to the "Marine Radio Operators Certificate of Proficiency" and the "VHF certificate". The current class licence still lists them as valid qualifications, so an old card in a skipper's wallet may be perfectly good. It is simply no longer issued under that name.
Licence versus qualification
Two separate questions arise every time someone keys a transmitter:
- Is the station licensed? VHF, 27 MHz and ship earth stations on an Australian ship are covered by the class licence — nobody applies for anything. MF/HF sets need an apparatus licence (a maritime ship licence) issued by ACMA, which also brings a call sign.
- Is the operator qualified? The class licence itself sets conditions on who may operate VHF and satellite equipment. For apparatus-licensed stations, the Qualified Operators – Maritime Determination 2026 says which certificate is needed.
The class licence was remade in 2025. The Radiocommunications (Maritime Ship Station) Class Licence 2025 commenced on 1 October 2025, replacing the 2015 "27 MHz and VHF" class licence that most study material still quotes. It was amended in March 2026 to add the satellite operator condition.
Where AMSA comes in
For recreational boating that would be the end of it. For professional crew it is not. AMSA's certificates of competency carry their own radio prerequisite: the domestic tickets need an SROCP or LROCP, and the STCW deck certificates need a GMDSS certificate. AMSA applies its own rules about which radio certificates it accepts, and they are stricter than ACMA's.
TIP — Keep the two lists apart "Am I legal to use this radio?" is an ACMA question. "Does this radio ticket support my CoC application?" is an AMSA question. The answers are not always the same, particularly for foreign certificates.
The yacht angle
A foreign-flagged yacht visiting Australia is licensed by its flag state and its operators are certificated to flag state requirements; the Australian class licence authorises ship stations on Australian ships. Where Australian rules bite for yacht crew is on Australian-flagged yachts, domestic charter and tender work, and whenever you apply to AMSA for a certificate. The GMDSS side for foreign-flag service is covered in GMDSS SRC/ROC/GOC.