Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to draw to the minister's attention an article from 12 March 2021 by Laura Chung in the Sydney Morning Herald. The heading of this particular story is 'Rough seas and dim light: Inside the fishing boat raid to nab 200kg of cocaine'. In what appears to have been an early morning raid, the article describes:

… on Thursday morning as authorities trailed a small fishing boat in Port Botany. Authorities spent two days training for the operation to seize hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, search two boats — including a 330-metre ship — and arrest a 27-year-old Australian man. Police will allege a small boat was launched from Port Botany, south of Sydney, to meet its 330-metre mother ship, the MSC Joanna, which originated in Antwerp, Belgium. Drugs, believed to have been stored on the larger ship, were transferred to the small fishing boat.

I have some other questions on this, but can the minister explain what the steps are for the assessment for a maritime crew visa? What are the actual checks that are done?