LABOR'S SWEETHEART DEAL WITH MARTIME UNIONS

摘要

Just before it lost office, Labor did a sweetheart deal with maritime unions on coastal shipping. It passed the Coastal Trading Act, which was meant to revitalise the shipping industry by protecting coastal trade for Australian ships and seamen.Since the act took effect, coastal shipping users have seen significant cost increases leading to a serious decline in the amount of coastal freight loaded at our ports, a reduction in Australian-flagged vessel capacity, fewer voyages and fewer Australian vessels. Worse, the deal has spread the misery around - there are now two million tonnes less freight being moved by foreign vessels and the number of major Australian registered ships with coastal licences fell from 30 in 2006/07 to just 13 in 2012/13.