Australian Journal of Maritime and Ocean Affairs: reflections on forty years

Australia is responsible for management and stewardship of an extensive and diverse marine domain, the world’s fourth largest exclusive economic zone, that extends from the tropics to the sub-Antarctic. Australia. Also has significant interests in the Antarctic. It has a ca claim to 42 percent of the continent, and is an original signatory to the Antarctic Treaty (1959), and is an active and engaged member of the Antarctic Treaty System that governs Antarctica and the Southern ocean. As a coastal state with alares and diverse marine domain Australia has been active in international negotiations related to the law of the sea, including the United Nations Convention in the Law of the Sea (1982).

At the same time maritime transport and its associated infrastructure have been critical elements in the economic and social development of the nation. Australia as an island continent is connected to the world by its fifty commercial ports dealing with international shipping that manage 98 per cent by weight of the nations’ international trade. Fisheries and aquaculture are important for national and regional economies and offshore oil and gas remain important. Developing opportunities in marine-based activities are recognition of the benefit to the nation of the ‘blue economy’ based on its extensive maritime interests.

The management and governance of Australia maritime interests has been the focus of the Australian Journal of Maritime and Oceans Affairs and its predecessor journal Maritime Studies since 1981. Maritime Studies was established by the the Australian Centre for Maritime Studies (ACMS), itself established in 1980 after a considerable period of planning. ACMS emerged, in the words of the Dr Neil Primrose, a key figure in its establishment, in response to ‘concern that Australia’s maritime capabilities and interests were not being developed with the consistent purpose and priority in the nation’s affairs they deserved’ (ACMS 1986: v). The founding members of the ACMS committee were Neil Primrose (Chairman until 1987), Doug Townsend, Lucinda Wright, Sam Bateman, Ian Booth, Chris Kissling, Marion Ward, Bob Galloway, Adrian Cummins, and David Robertson.

ACMS began a series of of outreach activities including public lectures, conferences, seminars, and contributing to government inquiries. It also began a publishing program, with a series of influential occasional papers and workshop proceedings including Maritime Australia 86 Putting it Together (ACMS 1986). ACMS was also instrumental supporting the publishing the Australian Maritime Digest, key information source of marine and ocean issues from 1993 to 2013, in its latter years supported by the Royal Australian Navy’s Sea Power centre.

The first number of Maritime Studies was published in October 1981. 161 numbers of Maritime Studies were published until 2009 when the journal was renamed the Australian Journal of Maritime and Oceans Affairs. Maritime Studies 100, published May/June 1998, contained a message from Prime Minister John Howard, who noted that the journal ‘has contributed to the grass roots development of policy in respect of the gamut of marine issues including oceans policy’. Prime Minister Howard commented that ‘it was appropriate that the 100^th issue was published in the International Year of the Ocean and at a time when the Government is working towards finalisation of Australia’s Oceans Policy’ (Howard 1998).

The development and implementation and later evaluation of Australia’s Oceans Policy was the focus of a number of contributions to Maritime Studies/Australian Journal of Maritime and Oceans Affairs. This major policy initiative was also to focus of a special issue that linked papers published the journal from the mid 1990s through to 2018 in a special on-line issue edited by Dr Joanna Vince. This issue showcased the rich archive of papers available of the journal’s website.

Maritime Studies numbers 1-10 (October 1981–March/April 1983) were edited by Lucinda Wright. Ian Booth edited numbers 11–27 (May/June 1983–January/February 1986).Anthony Bergin, Australian Defence Force Academy, was editor of Maritime Studies from April 1986 (number 28) to number 60 in (March/April 1998) and extended the focus of the journal to include longer form research papers. Bob Galloway edited numbers 40-61 (May/June 1988 to November/December 1991), with Richard Sherwood editor for numbers 62-75 (January/February 1992 to March/April 1994). The journal’s development was facilitated by its close connection with and support from the Centre for Maritime Policy established at the University of Wollongong in 1994 under Directorship of Sam Bateman, one of the founders of the ACMS.

Sam Bateman edited Maritime Studies from number 76 to 157 (May/June 1994 to November/December 2007), with editorial and production support from Marion Ward and Jean Davitt. Sam Batemans remained an active member of the journal’s editorial board until his death in October 2020 (Haward 2020).The journal’s association with University Wollongong continued continued, but both the centre and journal were renamed. The Centre for Marine Policy became the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), and as noted above Maritime Studies was re-launched as the Australian Journal of Maritime and Oceans Affairs. Warwick Gullet from ANCORS edited Maritime Studies numbers 158-161 (2008) and Volume 1 (2009) Australian Journal of Maritime and Oceans Affairs. Andrew Forbes from the Royal Australian Navy Sea Power Centre was editor from Volume 2 (2010) to volume 5 (2) 2013. Marcus Haward, from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania was appointed editor journal from Volume 5 (3) 2013. Sam Bateman died in October 2020, having maintained his link with the journal as an active board member until his death (Haward 2020)

The Australian Centre for Maritime Studies was restructured and renamed Australian Association of Maritime Affairs (AAMA) in 2006. AAMA was wound up in 2013 and the the Australian Journal of Maritime and Oceans Affairs was incorporated in the publishing program of Taylor and Francis/Routledge, one of the world’s leading publishing houses. The first volume Australian Journal of Maritime and Oceans Affairs under Taylor and Francis/Routledge was Volume 6, 2014. As noted above a full on-line archive of the Australian Journal of Maritime and Oceans Affairs/ Maritime Studies is available. As part of the Taylor and Francis ‘stable’ the journal has expanded its international reach, with its editorial board similarly broadened.

From its inception Maritime Studies and the Australian Journal of Maritime and Oceans Affairs have been explicitly broad in its scope, welcoming contributions for a range of disciplines and perspectives (Haward 2014). It has included contribution from practitioners in industry and government as well as from the research community. It has served as platform supporting and publishing the work of emerging scholars as well as publishing current research and analysis for forty years. It is appropriate, therefore, as we look look back, we also continue to look forward. I am pleased that Anthony Bergin, a former editor of Maritime Studies and a leading analysts of Australia’s maritime interests and policy responses, (and a long-term collaborator with Sam Bateman) has contributed to this current issue of the journal on maritime law enforcement training and capacity building, areas of particular interest to Sam Bateman.