Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Hansard source

The coalition takes Australia's international obligations to protect the marine environment from pollution from ships very seriously. This bill aligns Australia's domestic legislation with its international obligations that will support effective and consistent global regulations to protect the marine environment regarding pollution from ships. The International Maritime Organization progressively improves marine environment pollution standards for ships, and this bill aligns Australia with recent changes to international regulations.

The bill aims to do three things. Firstly, this bill introduces controls for discharges of residues of noxious liquid substances, like certain grades of vegetable oil or paraffin-like substances that can form surface slicks. Ships will be required to meet new cargo tank cleaning, pre-wash and discharge procedures for persistent surface slicks. The new regulation applies to northern European waters and came into effect on 1 January 2021. Specifically, it applies to north-west European waters, the Baltic Sea, western European waters and the Norwegian Sea.

Secondly, this bill bans the use of heavy fuel oils by shipping in arctic waters from 1 July 2024. A similar ban is already in place in the Antarctic. The ban aims to reduce environmental impacts on sensitive arctic environments caused by higher emissions of harmful air pollutants from ships burning heavy fuel oil. The heavy fuel oil ban also reduces the risk of oil spills. We've seen the devastating impact on marine ecosystems of oil spills in recent decades.

Thirdly, from 1 January 2023 the bill extends controls on ships' harmful and antifouling systems to include the biocide chemical cybutryne. It's a long time since I've done year 11 chemistry, but to everyone watching upstairs—children—science! You'll be able to read speeches in the Senate appropriately too, one day! This chemical is chronically toxic for marine organisms. According to the APVMA, which is our own regulator of pesticides and chemicals, the use of cybutryne as an antifouling agent for ships in Australia has never been registered or approved for use in ships in Australia. To be clear, this toxic chemical is unable to be used within our jurisdiction in Australia. This is our federal government responding to an international regulatory change which takes effect in the Northern Hemisphere.

This bill brings Australian regulations into line with the international standards-setting body, the International Maritime Organization, which seeks to improve marine environment pollution standards via the 1973 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships—a very sensible and clear name—and the 2001 International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems in Ships. While Australian ships are subject to Australian legislation wherever they are in the world, this legislation is not expected to have any significant impacts on our Australian maritime industry. The Australian shipping industry has been consulted on the legislation and is supportive of the alignment with regulations of the international body.

Our own Joint Standing Committee on Treaties has also considered the amendments to MARPOL relating to the cargo residues and tank-washing of persistent floating products, the prohibition of the use and carriage of HFOs in arctic water, and the HAFS convention relating to the control of cybutryne. Our treaty committee supported the amendments and agreed that binding action could be taken. We in the opposition, as is the deputy chair of the treaties committee, are supportive of their advice to the Senate around this piece of legislation. The opposition will be supporting the government's bill.