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

I will get to visas in a moment, but let's talk firstly about the shipping legislation. Everything that is happening now is happening under the laws that were introduced by the previous Labor government. The decline from 30 to 15 in the number of ships registered to operate on the Australian coastline has occurred under those laws. The reductions for the transitional register from 16 to eight have all happened under those laws. Those arrangements are, therefore, entirely of the making of the previous government. We agree with the comments that that legislation has not worked and has not delivered a prosperous shipping industry. What I find incredible is that Labor clearly must recognise that their legislation is not perfect in every detail and yet is not prepared to countenance any change. It is not prepared to accept the legislation. It is not proposing amendments to the bill. I have made it quite clear that, if there are amendments around, we are prepared to consider them. We are prepared to consider them, but nothing is being proposed.

Opposition members interjecting—

Rushing the legislation? It has been around for six months, so that is just complete nonsense. Do you want the current situation to continue? If Labor wants the current rules to remain in place, that will mean a continuing decline in the number of Australian ships, it will mean a continuing loss of Australian manufacturing jobs and it will mean imports will be more competitive than Australian goods way into the future. But Labor does not want to make any changes.

Let me also refer to the issue of temporary visas. There have been far fewer temporary visas issued under this government than under the previous government.

Ms MacTiernan interjecting—

We have issued fewer. If the honourable member wants to make criticisms about this, she should look internally. She should look at what happened under her administration, and she will find that, under Labor, there were more of these visas issued than there have been under this government.

As I said earlier, all of this debate has nothing whatever to do with the legislation that is before the House of Representatives at the present time. The only thing that links them together is the word 'maritime'. If I may therefore move on to a more constructive address to the issues, can I in fact acknowledge that the opposition in this instance is supporting the bill. This legislation is important in helping to secure a safe and environmentally sustainable maritime sector. The purpose of the bill is to amend four principle acts, namely: the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983; the Navigation Act 2012; the Protection of the Sea (Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage) Act 2008; and the Protection of the Sea (Civil Liability) Act 1981. The bill will implement measures to amend and correct a range of Australia's maritime legislation, ensuring our domestic requirements give effect to our international obligations. Of particular importance is the amendment to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973, commonly known as MARPOL, that will ban the carriage of heavy grade oil as ballast in Antarctic waters. The ban will enter into force internationally on 1 March 2016. To ensure Australia remains compliant with its international obligations an amendment to the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983 is required prior to that date, and that requires passage through parliament in the 2015 spring sittings.

The bill includes an amendment to the definition of dangerous goods in the Navigation Act 2012 to include goods which are not just listed but also characterised as dangerous goods under the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code. In addition to the amendments already mentioned, the Maritime Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 will amend the definition of the sea near a state in the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983 to ensure full implementation of MARPOL. It will correct technical drafting errors in the Navigation Act 2012 and amend the Protection of the Sea (Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage) Act 2008 and the Protection of the Sea (Civil Liability) Act 1981 to restore the ability to take regulatory action against non-compliant vessel operators. I thank those members who have spoken in support of the bill, and I commend it to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

See this speech in context