ALP Conference Reaffirms Commitment to Australian Shipping

1. Labor recognises that Australia needs a revitalised, strong Australian-flagged shipping industry with a secure workforce. The nation needs a strong Australian flagged fleet to ensure secure supply of goods essential to our economy, such as fuel, as well as to ensure the safety of our community in times of crisis. Labor acknowledges that shipping is an important national strategic industry supporting many other industries such as manufacturing, energy production, agriculture and tourism and that ships are efficient, require no built infrastructure for navigation and are the least energy intensive of all freight transport modes.

2. We will amend maritime laws to revitalise the Australian shipping industry with more effective regulatory arrangements for ship licencing overseen by an industry body. We will improve maritime safety laws to ensure the maintenance of maritime skills and qualifications as well as minimum safety and crewing standards necessary for a safe shipping industry. We will establish a strategic fleet, support development of the cruise sector including special support for the Australian expedition cruise sector, establish more contemporary foreign seafarer visa requirements, and improved corporate and seafarer tax incentives and workforce development measures so Australian shipowners can compete fairly and employ more Australian seafarers. We will ensure Australian shipping and port infrastructure is appropriately funded and will establish industry stakeholder engagement arrangements to help coordinate our commitment to revitalise Australian shipping.

3. We will establish a stronger interface and integration between commercial shipping and Naval, Customs and search/rescue/salvage/emergency response requirements of government, as well as with appropriate government agencies and commercial shipbuilding/repair/maintenance to improve maritime security and help build the maritime cluster.

4. Labor acknowledges that new opportunities for Australian ships will emerge as industries transform in response to utilisation of new technologies and as Australia rebuilds its manufacturing industry, as energy transitions away from fossil fuel usage adopting new energy sources such as hydrogen, ammonia, and biofuels and as more value adding occurs in agriculture, all creating demand for ships in domestic and international sea transportation. Labor will incentivise these new opportunities for Australian ships.

MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin spoke to conference on the chapter

https://youtu.be/JC0Uy4Q5En8

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