41   Records of sea-service

(1)  The Minister may require an applicant for a certificate of competency to produce a record of sea-service in a form approved by the Minister.

(2)  The Minister may reduce the amount of sea-service required by an applicant for a certificate of competency if the Minister is satisfied that the applicant has satisfactorily completed:

(a)  an approved competency based training course involving structured on-the-job training, or

(b)  the tasks set out in one of the following books relating to the grade of certificate of competency concerned:

(i)  a record of service book issued by RMS,

(ii)  a task book published by the National Marine Safety Committee under the National Record of Practical Experience and Sea-Service Scheme,

(iii)  a task book issued by an authority of the Commonwealth or of another State or a Territory.

(3)  The Minister may accept from an applicant for a certificate of competency proof of marine qualifications, courses undertaken or sea-service performed with the Australian Defence Force in satisfaction of some or all of the requirements relating to sea-service.

(4)  The owner or master of a vessel, or engineer on a vessel, on which a person who is an applicant for a certificate of competency has served must certify an entry in that person’s record of service on the vessel, at the request of the person or the Minister, if the entry is correct and is not misleading.

Maximum penalty: 4 penalty units.

(5)  An officer of RMS may certify an entry in the record of service on a vessel of an applicant for a certificate of competency, at the request of the applicant or the Minister, if the entry is correct and is not misleading.

(6)  A person must not certify an entry under subclause (4) or (5) or in a task book referred to in subclause (2) (b) if the person knows, or ought reasonably to know, that the entry is false or misleading.

Maximum penalty: 4 penalty units.