Pat Conroy (Charlton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

So does the member for Dobell. I am glad she is associating herself with my remarks! It is the day where we commemorate the sacrifice of the thousands of merchant mariners who lost their lives fighting for freedom. They lost their lives in some of the worst conditions one could imagine—whether it was in the Arctic convoys going to Russia or in the South Pacific. We honour their contribution and their sacrifice. We need to honour it by keeping the merchant navy alive and by keeping the maritime industry alive because we never know when we are going to need them.

Work Choices on water, ignoring the Labor party's great coastal trading laws, undermines that. It says that we do not care who staffs our vessels and we do not care where they are flagged; we just want the cheapest possible transport. That same logic could easily be applied to Australian truckies and it could easily be applied to ignoring Australian environmental laws. It is the thin end of the wedge and it is an un-Australian approach. I stand proudly with the MV Portland crew, I stand proudly with the CSL Melbourne crew and I stand proudly with the Maritime Union of Australia and say 'no more'. We need to stand up for Australian workers, Australian wages and Australian conditions and say 'no more' to undermining our maritime security.

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