Stephen Jones (Whitlam, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Infrastructure) Share this | Hansard source

But, remarkably, over that very same period, the number of Australians working on those ships has decreased. Flag-of-convenience shipping and temporary licences have been a critical part of this decline. Foreign crews on these flag-of-convenience vessels can earn as little as $1.20 an hour. They have less training and are often unaware of our sensitive coastal environment. We do not blame them, but we do blame their employers and we do blame this government, which is conspiring with employers to do them out of a job.

The most recent example is the CSL Thevenard, which has been operating around the Australian coast for nearly a decade carrying cement, fly ash, gypsum, mineral sands and other goods. This work has been conducted safely by qualified Australian seafarers. The ship was recently sailed to China, purportedly for dry-docking, where its Australian crew was sacked on 5 July. There were 40 Australians who worked that ship. They were from Tasmania, from your state, Mr Deputy Speaker Georganas, of South Australia, and one of the crew members was from Moss Vale, in my electorate. With extraordinary indifference to the fate of these workers, the coalition government has issued the company that owns this ship a temporary licence allowing it to continue to operate in Australia with a new crew of overseas workers. Now, the Coastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Act 2012 clearly states that coastal shipping should be undertaken by an Australian vessel and/or crew of an Australian vessel if they are available. With over 500 seamen currently waiting for a job in Australia, this is clearly not the case.

Today I'm calling on the Turnbull government to immediately cease issuing temporary licences to foreign vessels when there are Australian ships available. As an island nation, shipping is central to Australia's economy and national security. A strong leader would know this. A strong leader would put the interests of Australian workers and their families first. If the Prime Minister really was a strong leader, he'd do something about it. He'd do something to fix it.

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