Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Minister for Transport and Regional Services) Share this | Hansard source

All right. He certainly was raising issues about the conditions on board the vessels and the quality of the vessels themselves. The opposition has, on a number of occasions in this and previous debates, endeavoured to present the view that somehow or other foreign seafarers are in some kind of privileged position regarding their rights in Australia compared with Australian crew. It is simply not true to say, as the honourable member for Shortland has suggested, that foreign seamen can wander around in secure zones at seaports in a way that Australian seamen cannot. Everyone going into a secure zone is required to have a card or be escorted.

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