Funding for maritime training to increase certified Australian seafarer workforce

You can apply if you:

• have an Australian business number (ABN)
• have an account with an Australian financial institution
• are an entity incorporated in Australia
• are the employer of the trainee/cadet seafarers, and are one of the following:
  • a Group Training Organisation (GTO)
  • an Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) registered private seafarer recruitment and placement service
  • a shipping company or vessel operator
• acknowledge you cannot claim the shipping exempt income tax incentive under the Shipping Reform (Tax Incentives) Act 2012 for the same trainee/cadet seafarers funded under this program.

You can’t apply if you:

• are an organisation not included in Section 4.1 of the grant opportunity guidelines
• are an organisation, or your project partner is an organisation, included on the National Redress Scheme’s list of Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme
• are an employer of 100 or more employees that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012)
• are an individual
• have had any convictions in the previous three years under any Australian work health and safety law
• have been found by a court to have underpaid seafarers (including underpayment of superannuation/ social benefits) on vessels in which they have beneficial ownership or operational control, which use Australian ports
• have been found by a court or tribunal to be in breach of the Fair Work Act 2009, an enterprise agreement, award, or other fair work instrument made under that Act
• have had any compliance or enforcement action taken against it by the Fair Work Ombudsman (including being issued with a compliance notice, or entering into an enforceable undertaking) in relation to an underpayment or a potential breach of the Fair Work Act 2009, an enterprise agreement, modern award or other fair work instrument and the decision maker considers that the compliance or enforcement action taken against the employer was significant
• have been subject to any current AMSA, Australian Transport Safety Bureau, or any other comparable regulatory agency significant actions relating to unsafe operations, environmental damage or contamination
• are a supplier of vessels to the Strategic Fleet.

You must complete your project by 30 March 2029.

Your project must:

• directly place trainee/cadet seafarers onboard a vessel for mandatory sea time to achieve STCW certification.

Eligible expenditure items are:

• wages and on-costs associated with engaging a trainee/cadet seafarer, including payroll tax, superannuation, leave and insurances related to the trainee/cadet
• provision of appropriate placement onboard the vessel/s including accommodation and victualling
• travel to and from the vessel from the trainee/cadet seafarers’ home if required (Eligible air transportation is limited to the economy class fare for each sector travelled. Where non economy class air transport is used only the equivalent of an economy fare for that sector is eligible expenditure. Where non-economy class air transport is used, the grantee will require evidence showing what an economy airfare costs at the time of travel.)
• the cost of an independent audit of project expenditure (where we request one) up to a maximum of 1% of total eligible project expenditure.