Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Road Safety) Share this | Hansard source

I won't take long, but I think it's important. I've been working around this area for a long, long time. This is just a clean-up bill. My view is very clear: I think it's criminal that the ANL was sold to start with. I think it's absolutely criminal that this government has done everything it can to diminish the Australian shipping fleet. This government has gone out of its way to make sure that we have not only got rid of Australian flagged vessels but killed off good paying Australian jobs.

Let's get this very clear. We are an island nation, for crying out loud. I was joking a number of years ago with a good friend of mine ex-MUA secretary Mick Doleman. Mick said to me, 'There were more ships in the First Fleet when we came to Australia than what we've got now.' I said 'Mick, that's not even funny anymore.' But this is what it is: we've got 13 flagged vessels.

It is imperative that anyone listening to this should actually focus on what this government has done to drive down the opportunity for Australian seafarers. Masters, skippers and engineers don't go to a pastel-coloured classroom at TAFE to learn how to be a master, a skipper or an engineer. These skills are learned for many, many, many, many years. I'm not joking. It's getting into near on 20 years where these workers develop these skills. They don't get it out of a Wheaties box. Could you imagine the bile that would be coming from that side if we said: 'We don't need Aussie farmers anymore. We'll just get rid of Aussie farmers and we will bring in whatever from other countries. Not only that but we'll exploit the temporary visa system and we'll exploit them when they get here.' Could you imagine what they'd say? Senator Brockman—you and I get on extraordinarily well—you'd know there'd be uproar. So why is there not uproar when our shipping industry has been decimated by the Howard government followed by the Abbott-Turnbull—and where are we now?—Morrison government?

Mr Acting Deputy President Gallacher, you and I sit in here and listen to Senator Reynolds give off her spiels in question time about Defence and about what a great spend we're doing in shipping and Defence. Here's a little bit of info for that mob over there: did you know that before all these Australian defence vessels that are going to be built here can't be handed over to the Navy until the merchant navy has done all the sea trials? Think about that. You're going out of your way to make sure there won't be any more captains, engineers, masters and the lot. Who the hell's going to do it then? What are you going to do? Are you going to exploit another temporary visa system or another worker visa system and bring in foreign engineers and captains? That's what you're doing now.

We also pride ourselves that, when we have catastrophes off our coast on the Australian Great Barrier Reef, they're not Australian ships that are running into the reef. From an environmental argument too, we want Australian captains, Australian engineers, Australian masters and Australian seafarers.

What happened to the old thing you stuck on your fridge that said, 'Don't be alarmed; be alert?' What about national security? Wouldn't it be nice if we knew where all of these seafarers were coming from before they came here? This may come as a shock, but I am totally fired up and have been for many, many years watching the Australian seafarers and seafaring industry being decimated by that side of government. I think the hypocrisy from the government is extraordinary. They need to be held to account, because, as I said, I couldn't imagine it if we imported all our farmers. Maybe what we should do is exploit foreign visa systems and bring in foreign politicians. They'll probably work for one-tenth of the wage too; they're probably not a bad idea. I bet you'd jump up and down about that. It's a nothing bill, but I'm still pretty peed off about the demise of the Australian shipping industry. That's it.