Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

How they feel is not for me to comment on, other than to say that I can understand that somebody who loses their job would be disappointed. That stands to reason. But what I would invite them to do is ask a simple question. Why is it that they lost their job? Why was it that, regrettably, the Caltex refining company found it could no longer produce or refine petroleum product in Australia? That is why the Alexander Spirit is no longer engaged in coastal shipping in Australia. It used to cart the refined petroleum product from Brisbane to domestic ports around Australia. The refinery closed—no more production. It is now imported from overseas, from Singapore. As a result, it is no longer coastal shipping; it is foreign shipping bringing imports into Australia—a completely different category. (Time expired)