Labor Party Pushes for Bipartisanship on Australian Shipping Policy

Australian Labor Party has moved to establish a Senate inquiry into Australian shipping to build bipartisan support to reverse the ongoing decline of the nation’s maritime industry.

“It is time for all political parties to work with industry and employee representatives to end the policy inertia and collaborate to find an approach that will secure the future of Australian shipping,” a statement issued by Anthony Albanese, Labor MP for Grayndler and Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Cities, Tourism, reads.

Over the past 30 years, the number of Australian-flagged vessels operating domestically and internationally has fallen from about 100 to 14, with resulting job losses and a decline in the country’s national skills base.

In July 2012, following extensive consultation with industry and unions, the former Labor Government attempted to revive shipping with a reform package including tax concessions and training assistance.

However, in 2013, the incoming Coalition Government took a new approach, proposing changes that would have destroyed the domestic shipping industry by allowing foreign vessels paying crews third world wages to compete with Australian vessels paying their crews Australian-level wages, according to the statement.