Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you to the member for Mayo for that fine contribution to this House just now. Before I entered this place, I spent a decade working offshore in the Australian oil and gas industry. From 2006 until 2016, I worked as an able seaman and boatswain, serving aboard drill rigs, seismic survey vessels, anchor handlers and a range of offshore support vessels. Those years taught me plenty about hard work. They also taught me something far more important: no matter where a seafarer comes from, everyone deserves to be treated with respect, paid fairly and return home safely. Life at sea is unlike any other profession. The hours are long, the conditions are unforgiving, and you're no less than hundreds of kilometres from your family.

During that time, I also served as a union delegate. This was about making sure those without a voice had someone prepared to stand up for them. That experience has stayed with me ever since. Perhaps that is why I reacted so strongly after meeting two former Carnival Cruise employees, Queen and Christiana, this week. What they described left me entirely appalled. These were not isolated complaints about difficult work; they were accounts of systemic exploitation taking place aboard vessels carrying Australian passengers and operating from Australian ports. This is a workplace where retail crew members earn around US$225 each week. Spread across the hours they were expected to work, that amounted to little more than $2 an hour. No Australian should consider that acceptable for themselves, and neither should we accept that for anyone else. Queen and Christiana described having to purchase their own drinking water, Wi-Fi, toiletries and sanitary products while living on board. Basic necessities became another cost deducted from wages that were already impossible to live on. No employer should expect workers to pay simply to meet their most fundamental needs.

But this was just the tip of the iceberg. Meals served to crew were recycled from food left over in the guest dining areas. Workers suffering illness, including gastro, had to continue performing their duties because taking time off simply was not an option. Instead of receiving rest, they'd have their shore leave cancelled altogether. That should concern every Australian. Ships are demanding workplaces where the spread of illness places everybody on board at risk. Long shifts are routine, often stretching well beyond 12-hour days. Nobody should have to choose between protecting their health and keeping their job, and, after I heard this, nobody can convince me to go on a Carnival cruise in the future.

The Maritime Union of Australia deserves enormous credit for exposing these practices. For years they have fought to ensure vulnerable international seafarers receive the same dignity and respect every worker deserves. Without that advocacy, many of those stories would never have reached the Australian public or the light of day.

Queen captured this issue perfectly when she said:

Carnival needs to be held accountable for how they treat their crew members … it's nothing short of slavery.

She also reminded Australians that every cruise purchased allows these practices to continue. Christiana also said:

We need Carnival to stop exploiting the workers. We work very long hours and get paid not even peanuts.

Australia has built its reputation on fair wages, safe workplaces and respect for working people. Those values cannot stop at the water's edge. A multinational company should never gain a commercial advantage by exploiting vulnerable workers who have little ability to defend themselves.

Crew aboard Carnival's three Australian 'home ported' vessels have signed a petition calling on the company to commence collective bargaining and begin addressing these unacceptable conditions. That is not a radical demand. It is a right protected under international maritime law. This week, those crew members presented their petition to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the agency responsible for enforcing seafarer rights. I call on AMSA to ensure these rights are respected and enforced. I know the pride that comes from working in the maritime sector. I also know the sacrifices made by those who spend months away from their families to keep global trade and tourism moving. That commitment should never be rewarded with exploitation. Australia can do better than this and we expect better than this. Carnival Cruise, I suggest that you start doing better immediately.