In addition to the obvious direct benefits of increased earnings and employment, the industry has the capacity to produce a number of other strategic benefits for the State including:
・Helps to change the strategic focus in the State from the resources sector to the rapidly growing marine sector, providing a more diverse economy and impetus for infrastructure development;
・With the assistance of the Department of Commerce and Trade, more than 1500 Western Australian firms have gained ISO 9000 quality systems certification. Many of these supply materials and services to the marine and defence industries. The ISO quality standard is an internationally recognised standard;
・Industry expenditure on research and development, for example the development of the Austal ride-control system, adds value to the industry as a whole and adds value to the products being sold globally;
・Secondary industry supporting the shipbuilding industry and other marine industries, such as the manufacturers and suppliers of furniture, electronics, navigation equipment, glassware and instrumentation, also benefit from the existence of a strong local sector;
・Nationally, the growth helps reduce social security payments, increases the proportion of manufactured goods in national output and boosts per capita gross national product;
・Ensures strong service and maintenance support for the Royal Australian Navy and commercial fleet operators on the west coast.
The full contribution of the marine industry to this State's economy is not known and is difficult to quantify. Certainly the light weight craft, turning over some $500 million per year is one of the largest and growing manufacturing sectors in Western Australia.
However, as shown in Table 1, the scope of the marine industry sector includes several sectors including the high-speed light-weight industry, fishing boats, steel shipbuilding, ship repair, boat building, oceanographic, meteorological and environmental services, underwater marine technologies and bio-pharmaceutical and bio-technology industries.
Many aspects of the companion Defence Industry and Oil and Gas Industry Strategies are relevant to Western Australian marine industries. The oil and gas industry is of growing importance in Western Australia and has a significant offshore component, parts of which are closely linked with other marine industry activities.
STRUCTURE OF THE MARINE INDUSTRY
The marine industry may be classified into four major categories. These include marine systems design and construction, marine based industries, related equipment and service industries and operations. These may be subdivided as set out in Table 2.
