Published: 12 Jul 2010
Perhaps emboldened by the success of the mining giants forcing a compromise on the resources tax shipping conglomerates have started a push with the Murdoch press for ongoing exploitation of foreign crew on our coastal shipping highways
The headline story in today's Australian IR laws blamed for ship cost rise calls on the PM to wind back the Fair Work Act cover of foreign ships and crew carrying Australian domestic cargo between Australian ports on our coastal highways.
Have your say. Write in to the Australian
Shipping companies have got together to cry poor and announce massive freight rate rises if the government does not back down and let ships of shame exploiting third world crew open slather on our coast.
Go to the Australian website and have YOUR SAY Write in to the Australian on why Fairwork should cover foreign ships and crew on our domestic trade - because it's good for human rights, the environment and the economy.
Two of nine comments posted this morning are from people supporting FairWork on our coast
Environmental threat
Matt Posted at 8:02 AM Today
With such emphasis being placed upon the environment in recent times, the environmental record of Australian shipping should be considered. Our fragile and diverse coast needs to be manned by an Australian merchant fleet - this is not about money. The danger posed by foreign flagged vessels working the Australian coast is huge. The safety standards of some of these vessels are of a third world level and environmental safety and precautions are non-existent. We need not look far to realise the extent of foreign manned vessels on our precious Australian coast. For example, when the 'Shen Neng 1' tore a 3km gash in the Great Barrier Reef spilling tonnes of oil onto our World Heritage listed beauty it was no suprise that this was a foreign flagged and manned vessel. The training our nations seafarers undertake is second to none. Perhaps the most important aspect of this training pertains to environmental safety. The monetary cost of the environmental catastrophes caused by foreign flagged and manned vessels is another issue completely. But maybe ship owners could take this into account when next balancing their books.
Comment 3 of 9
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Foreign labour to replace professionals?
Gavin of Sydney Posted at 8:40 AM Today
Massive profits under threat, yes. I wonder what sort of complaints we would hear if business leaders and all manner of "professionals" where replaced with third world labour and or conditions and wages. I would have thought it sensible for an Island nation such as ours to have a fully self sufficient (Australian)merchant fleet with highly trained crews and sea worthy vessels. If one takes a look at the damage foreign operators have done around our coast over the last 10 years i cannot help but to think we should be taxing the complainants of this story so that all the oily mess they create upon our shores is cleaned up. Ooh no problem there, we the tax payers will pay for it. How close in the last 2 years have we come to serious environmental damage to the the Great Barrier Reef??? at the hands of unscrupulous business operators and shipping companies. I await the next disaster.
Comment 5 of 9
