The Marine Industries Action Agenda is one of a series of partnerships between a wide variety of industries and the Australian Government aimed at improving the growth prospects of the industry sector.

Entsch said this Action Agenda would address a number of priority areas such as increasing innovation, regulatory reform and market development in the Australian marine industries sector.

“The marine industry includes boat-building, ship-building, ship repair, marine equipment and accessories manufacture, marina activities, the super yacht sector and marine services such and design and drafting.”

“Exports from the marine industry currently exceed $700 million a year, annual turnover is more than $2 billion and employment is over 15 000. A key goal of the Action Agenda is to increase these figures significantly”, Entsch said.

Another key goal of the Action Agenda process, according to Entsch, was to increase Australia’s share of the world marine industry market.

“For example, the market for marine products in the US alone is over $20 billion a year. Presently, Australia has only a small share of this pie, so there are significant opportunities for growing exports,” Entsch said.

Peter Hunt, well known Sydney boating identity and Chair of the Leaders Group is expected to make a range of recommendations to Government addressing both opportunities and impediments to the development of the marine sector.

“This is a great opportunity for the whole marine industry to deal cooperatively with the issues affecting us.

“We have a chance to improve the future of our industry and look beyond the short term pressures affecting our own companies or industry sectors,” Hunt said.

More information on the Marine Industries Action Agenda can be found at http://www.industry.gov.au/marine