Various tribunals are established in
Australia to investigate the causes of shipwrecks, crashes and other matters pertaining to ships in Australian waters. As Australia is a federal jurisdiction, both the States of Australia and the National government have joint authority to make laws over navigation. Where navigation relates to overseas or interstate trade, the national government's law will take precedence in certain circumstances. At the national level, the
Australian Government has established the
Court of Marine Inquiry of Australia under the federal Navigation Act. At the state level, the following agencies have responsibility for the investigation of maritime incidents: • In
New South Wales a
District Court may be authorised to sit as a Court of Marine Inquiry to hear and determine inquiries, appeals, and references under the
New South Wales Navigation Act 1901. Decisions of such a Court are not subject to review by courts of appeal. The
NSW Maritime Authority has responsibility for marine incident investigation. The Authority investigates the causes of incidents involving shipping and commercial vessels and breaches of State or Commonwealth navigation laws. Incidents involving
Sydney Ferries vessels are examined by the Office of Transport Safety Investigations, which is also responsible for investigations into incidents involving publicly owned rail and bus transport. • The
Western Australian Government has established the
Magistrates Court of Western Australia as a court of marine inquiry. • The
Victorian Government has established the
Marine Board of Victoria to perform the functions of a court of marine inquiry. ==Fiji==