Court of Marine Inquiry

Full description

The Marine Board of Victoria (VA 1424) was established under the provisions of the Marine Board Act 1887 (No.965), which became operative in 1888. The Marine Board had the power to institute a Court of Marine Inquiry if the assessors employed by the Board regarded any incident involving marine matters to be sufficiently serious to warrant an investigation. The Court was a court of record and was authorised to hold formal investigations into casualties and into charges of incompetency or misconduct on the part of masters, mates, engineers and pilots.

The Court was constituted by one or more stipendiary magistrates and two members skilled in nautical engineering or other specialist marine areas. The Court had the power to summon parties and compel the attendance of witnesses, in addition to the powers exercised by justices sitting in petty session. The Court could cancel or suspend any certificate or licence issued by the Marine Board and could forward a case for argument before a Judge of the Supreme Court.

The Marine Act 1988 abolished The Court, and directed all prosecutions against The Act to the Magistrates' Court of Victoria (VA 5113) in the first instance.