House debates

Monday, 25 May 2015

Questions without Notice

Workplace Relations

2:44 pm

Photo of Tony AbbottTony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I think I know what this question is all about. It is quite interesting: their union masters are tugging on the strings. And there he is, the ex-union official: he is dancing and dancing and dancing, as the strings get tugged and tugged and tugged. Let me tell the Leader of the Opposition what happened as a result of the MUA-sponsored legislation on coastal shipping that was brought in by the member for Grayndler. Between 2007 and 2013 the number of major Australian ships fell from 30 to 15. Thanks to the member for Grayndler's MUA-inspired coastal shipping legislation, the number of Australian ships halved. And I will tell you what else happened. In the first year of the operation of the member for Grayndler's MUA-inspired legislation, costs increased by 63 per cent. That is what happened.

Comments

Andrew JACKSON
Posted on 2 Jun 2015 1:08 pm

Since Tony Abbott became PM how many ships has government acquired? IN the two years between 1956 and 1957 the Menzies government establkished the AUstarlian National Line and acquired or launched over 40 ships. .

IT is time to dump the current economic policies of the LIbLabs they are both as bad as each other.

Any ship trading into AUstarlian Waters should be manned by sailors getting Australian Wages. Make the penalty for underpayment loss of the shipping vessel and send in Industrial Inspectors to check wages. The penalty for underpayment should be loss of the vessel and all other vessels in their fleet. THe Master and Officers should then be incarcerated in a hulk on the bank's of the Molongolo River until the ship owner forfeits all other vessels in their fleet to Australian Government. We would then be able to re-establish an Australian National Line in next few years.

IT took a true liberal to establish the ANL in first place and an economic moron to close it down in 1998.

Unfortunately ALP has had years since 1998 to fix this moronic decision and both they and Liberals have failed hopelessly.