Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

May I thank those members who have contributed to the debate, although I notice that members opposite have spent very little time actually talking about this bill, the Maritime Legislation Amendment Bill 2015. They have, in fact, been talking about legislation which is going to be debated in the Senate later this day. Therefore, I will not take a lot of time in the House to respond to those issues; it will be more appropriate for that to happen in the Senate later this day. Let me just say to the member who has just resumed her seat and to the shadow minister, who spoke earlier, that we share a concern about the fate of the Australian shipping industry. The government wants there to be a strong and profitable Australian shipping industry, employing Australians and providing services around the Australian coastline. We want to create jobs, not just in shipping but also, in particular, on the land. We do not want jobs to be lost in the manufacturing sector in Australia because the cost of our shipping is so high that it is cheaper to bring things in from overseas than to move them around the Australian coast. That is the situation at the present time. Those issues clearly have to be addressed. That is the reason the government has been brave enough to try to tackle reform in the shipping industry and to deliver an environment which may enable it, therefore, to be an industry that is progressive and that achieves its potential into the future.

Let me say two other things in response to the honourable member. All of the problems she is talking about are occurring under the existing legislation. If there are problems with the laws, they are problems with Labor's laws.

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