Marine Rescue Queensland

Marine Rescue Queensland (MRQ) is Queensland’s first state-wide volunteer marine rescue service, dedicated to saving lives at sea and supporting those on or near the water. 

The service, established in 2024, brings together rescue units from the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Association (AVCGA) and Volunteer Marine Rescue Queensland (VMRQ). Although MRQ is a new service, our marine rescue volunteers have a long and proud history and have been keeping people safe on Queensland’s oceans and waterways for more than 50 years. 

As a volunteer-run organisation, we are establishing our service in a staged approach to minimise disruption to marine rescue services in Queensland communities. When transitions are complete, we’ll have approximately 2,700 Queensland volunteers operating across 47 units and undertaking approximately 4,000 activations throughout the state each year.

MRQ delivers a range of functions including: 

• marine search and rescue operations
• marine assistance to persons or vessels in difficulty
• supporting other marine entities where available
• supporting emergency service activities to help communities respond to, and recover from, an event or disaster
• educating and promoting MRQ and maritime safety topics to the boating public and community.

MRQ is volunteer-led, government-enabled and community-backed.