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

AI and automation are already changing how work is carried out across the country, including at our ports. DP World is now the world's fifth-largest port operator and handles close to 40 per cent of Australian container trade. From 2011 to 2024, DP World earned around $8.9 billion in revenue in Australia but, over that period, paid only one per cent in corporate tax.

Now, you'd think they'd use that to provide increased support to their workforce, but no. The share of revenue going to workers has dropped from 54 per cent to 35 per cent in just a six-year period.

All this is happening at the same time port charges are going up across the system. ACCC data shows that companies like DP World have driven a surge in landside charges, noting that they 'keep increasing rates without any improvement in productivity'. Now they're pushing ahead with an AI automation program that could threaten up to 1,000 jobs. They want to charge more. They want to pay less. They want to cut jobs. It's all a one-way street where only they take the gains and everyone else carries the cost.

This week, I spoke at the launch of the Maritime Union of Australia's report on DP World. The government is committed to working closely with the union movement to ensure that workers not only benefit from the rollout of AI but also are kept safe. Under laws in New South Wales, employers are explicitly required to ensure that AI and algorithmic systems do not risk the health and safety of workers. Workers and their unions also have the right to assess and inspect their systems where there are safety concerns. We are continuing to review our laws to make sure that they keep pace with an AI driven economy and properly protect workers. (Time expired)