Dec 11, 2024

It has been another big year for BIA and I am proud to say the team has continued to deliver on a significant number of strategic priorities for the BIA membership which represents the wider marine industry.  

Our efforts to promote and grow boating are now year round with marketing and communication efforts peaking in the off season in the runup to the Sydney International Boat Show in August, and now underway with the Discover Boating advertising campaign leading into the peak boating season. The Discover Boating campaign for 20024-25 is now in full swing, this year extended into Victoria and Tasmania.  

Commitments in advocacy to governments increased through the year spanning local, State and national arenas where BIA continues to build its reputation as a valued and trusted voice for boating and the marine industry. We have won positive outcomes across all levels of government from local waterway management issues to State based boating legislation and master planning for marinas, to national support for priority trade skills and safer boating outcomes through Standards work and education campaigns with benefits nationwide.  

In a further sign of BIA’s recognised value to the marine industry, we have welcomed formal partnerships over recent times with the Australasian Institute of Marine Surveyors, Australian Institute of Engineering, TAFE Qld, grown our relationship with TAFE NSW and DECKEE, with discussions underway with the Australian Fishing Trade Association due to the importance of boat-based fishing in our sector.   

I am particularly excited to see our membership services continuing to grow, including the following: 

Standards work 

Our role in delivering the Standards Forum held at the 2024 Sydney International Boat Show has paved way for development of a new national standard system for recreational vessels, likely to refer to global industry norms addressed as ISO standards. ISO standards work is ongoing with six active working groups and 10 standards in revision or new drafting, including stability, lithium batteries and electric propulsion, energy consumption assessment, fire protection, windows and portlights, and sailing vessel appendages. Australian Standards work in parallel is revising small craft design, electrical systems – including for marinas – lifejackets and creating new Standards for Electric Visual Distress Signals and deployable drowning prevention devices. BIA representatives Chair many of the Standards Committees such as small craft, marinas, lifejackets and safety equipment with a number of members in support. 

Members 

During 2024, BIA has welcomed 70 new members, an excellent point of recognition towards what we do for Industry. These are from a wide range of marine business sectors and from across all States in Australia, plus NZ. Additionally, 25 Queensland BoatSafe training businesses have joined BIA to form the Queensland section of BIA Training & Education Division. A total of 687 including Life Members, Trade Members and BQI division. 

A new CRM 

The new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, iMIS, was configured over several months recently to establish a new level of member engagement management. The new Member Portal allows easy access to member records, transactions and booking platform for future events, plus member resources, such as standard contracts and documentation, insurance and advocacy reports. From early 2025 BIA eNews and all broadcast communications will be delivered via iMIS, making for a streamlined and uniform means of communicating with members and stakeholders. 

Marine Jobs 

Much has been achieved in Jobs, Skills and Training, and much more is to come in the new year. BIA now leads on the Marine Jobs platform and we are expanding our activities in this area in 2025 with continued collaborations with Schools, Training colleges, TAFE and Private RTO’s, and our Marine Academy program with the Industry School is expanding.  

The Marine Academy has approximately 60 young people enrolled and we are well on target to see 100 young people engaged in this program each year.  

We have developed a solid Marine Jobs program for 2025, including continuing with the Career Expos in Cairns and on the Gold Coast. Meetings continue within all States with education providers such as TAFE’s and Education Departments, ensuring the BIA is achieving the best possible engagement for BIA members and the marine industry. 

Valued industry partners and sponsors

We are working with a number of valued sponsors, assisting us to deliver positive boating messages for industry, including: 

• General Motors Special Vehicles as preferred ‘tow’ vehicle for the BIA and the Marine Industry; GMSV will be supporting the Discover Boating campaigns, BIA generally and Sydney International Boat Show 

• Century Batteries is supporting boating and Discover Boating, and the Sydney International Boat Show 

• Repco Commercial is supporting BIA generally and offering purchasing incentives for BIA members 

• Network Marine Insurance is supporting BIA and the membership 

• Marine Rescue NSW is collaborating and supporting safe boating messages 

• Quality Marine Clothing is assisting with general BIA business activity and supporting our International Women’s Day events in 2025 

• The Industry College is supporting our pathway programs for young people entering the Marine Industry and our International Women’s Day events  

• Also supporting International Women’s Day events are Pantaenius and Mulpha. 

BIA Shows 

The Sydney International Boat Show continued to rebuild its profile following the no-show years of 2020-21. It was noteworthy that a contingent of eight NSW Parliamentarians attended the Show this year, including two Ministers.  

This year the Show delivered new elements such as:  

• Safe Boating collaborations with Marine Rescue NSW and Surf Life Saving NSW 

• Discover Boating Sail and Paddle Hubs, outlining positive entry points for people wanting to start their social boating journeys 

• National and International Forums, delivering Diversity and Inclusion, Standards and Safety, Jobs Skills and Training events with hundreds of high school students. The Forums attracted attendees from across the globe.  

BIA engaged with over 1,600 attendees to our Forums and workshops, these will indeed expand into 2025.  

We have engaged with dozens of Show Exhibitors in the last few months and the BIA are considering changes to the Show footprint for 2025 and beyond. I would ask that all Exhibitors keep an eye out for a questionnaire to be sent soon seeking feedback on the Show. Exhibitor feedback will be extremely valuable and important. 

Meanwhile, we continue to represent the marine industry internationally with executive positions on ICOMIA and the IFBSO global associations, ensuring we are engaged with marine industry leaders from around the world for the benefit of our domestic industry. These international activities will see new opportunities for 2025 for Marine Jobs and the Marine Card work, health and safety programs. 

Thank you to our entire membership and to those who were able to attend our end of year functions in Adelaide, Sydney and Gold Coast. Our focus is to continually engage with members, understand needs and deliver value to our growing membership.  

Have a fantastic Christmas and a great start to 2025, thank you to all members for your continued support. 

See you on the water. 

Andrew Scott