NEW SHIPS

NEW SHIPS ON THE HORIZON

Palaszczuk re-election delivers $21M for coastal shipping and ports

Australian flagged and crewed ships will once again ply the Queensland coast under a re-elected Palaszczuk state Labor Government. On the eve of the election the government pledged a $21M maritime investment package over two years. The investment will include a new Townsville to Brisbane shipping service providing 26 maritime worker jobs per ship plus a further commitment of $1M for maritime training and apprenticeships; a commitment to keep ports in public hands, maritime apprenticeships and training. “This initiative delivers seafaring jobs and strengthens Australia’s supply chains by increasing the use of locally owned and crewed vessels on the Queensland coast,” said MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin. It comes on the back of the Maritime Jobs Taskforce, established earlier this year.

MUA Queensland Branch Secretary Stephen Cumberlidge applauded the move, saying it would deliver quality regional jobs. “This investment in the ‘blue highway’ along Queensland’s coast will not only create jobs for local seafarers, it will strengthen the maritime supply chains that are vital for keeping the state’s economy ticking,” he said. It will increase marine safety and protect the Great Barrier Reef by using highly skilled local seafarers, he added. The fiscal incentives would go to new and existing operators to create a Brisbane Townsville shipping service and for existing trades to switch to Queensland crew. Assistant State Secretary Paul Gallagher said this could see two ships - one dedicated liner vessel servicing Brisbane to Townsville and one Ro Ro vessel that could service smaller ports like Cairns. “All Qld branch officials have worked hard for a long time on the back of our rank and file campaign to achieve government backing to put our seafarers back up the gangway. The key to pushing actual fiscal support to supplement a good shipping policy was having Deputy Secretary Jason Miners on the Maritime Jobs Task Force advising on the recommendations of the Intrastate shipping enquiry. We congratulate the ALP government for announcing financial support but there is still a lot of work to do,” Gallagher said. “We expect that the re elected government will stand with us and replace foreign seafarers with local seafarers on the Rio Tinto Bauxite trade. Ships that trade between two Queensland ports carrying Queensland resources and should be employing Queensland crews. We think the government supports that,” he added. “We would also now like to address Fuel Security in Queensland. With all remote cities in Queensland now relying on 100% imported fuel there needs to be an Australian crewed and registered Tanker to service remote Queensland from the Brisbane refinery. These long awaited initiatives should set the precedent for the federal government finally address the problem we have with relying on foreign shipping”. ”Under the Government proposal, 40 new maritime jobs would be

MUA NQ organiser Dave Lyons and children fighting for the next generation of seafarers (above); Paul Gallagher, MUA on board the SL Herbert with Mark Bailey, transport minister and Scott Stewart, Townsville MP, announcing the state’s $22M new shipping investment (below)

created over two years. The aim is both to encourage more Queensland workers on Queensland trade routes and provide traineeships for the next generation of maritime workers. The government will commission an audit of Queensland maritime-based work to identify skills shortages. It will invest $1M to support maritime companies and registered training organisations to deliver cadetships so Australian workers can qualify for maritime jobs or upskill to marine pilots or engineers. Expressions of interest to partner with industry on coastal shipping proposals are expected to go out before the end of the year. “We will provide fee relief and training and wage subsidies to ensure a level play field for Queensland workers,” the government pledged. The government will also set up a Maritime Industry Consultation group to bring employers and workers together to identify new opportunities. The initiatives come from the MUA submission to the parliamentary inquiry into sustainable intrastate coastal shipping in January 2019. “Coastal shipping is a vital cog in our state with 7000 kilometres of coastline and 16 trading ports,” the government announced. Backing the local maritime sector and increasing skills means better response to crises like pandemics, cyclones, fires and floods. Ready access to coastal shipping also maintains essential transport links, without being dependent on international supply chains. “So many foreign seafarers testing positive to COVID-19 emphasised the risk that an almost totally foreign crewed shipping industry poses in Australia,” the policy paper stressed. National Secretary Paddy Crumlin said Australia was caught unprepared by the COVID pandemic. “It has highlighted the threat to our sovereignty caused by a dependence on foreign shipping for domestic and international trade,” he said. “As we move towards the recovery phase from the COVID crisis, steps that strengthen the resilience of our supply chains and ensure our island nation is served by skilled Australian seafarers should be commended.” Since first elected the state government has invested $193M in stage one of a $1.64B Townsville port expansion along with a $29.3M investment in container handling equipment. •