Barry Wakelin (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services. Would the minister update the House on initiatives the government has taken to assist the Australian maritime sector? Is the minister aware of any alternative policies?

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

I thank the honourable member for Grey for his continuing interest in the maritime industry. As the member for an electorate that produces a lot of exports, he wants a very efficient maritime sector and, particularly, efficient Australian ports. I am pleased today to report to the House on the conclusion of a major chapter in Australia’s waterfront reform. You will all be aware that, in the time of this government, we have transformed Australia’s waterfront from one of international embarrassment to one where many of our ports are at or up with world’s best practice.

We can all remember on this side those days when Labor ministers stood at this box and told us that it was completely impossible to move more than 14 containers an hour—it simply was not possible to move more than 14 containers in an hour. Now we regularly achieve double that figure. Indeed, our export and import performance has been greatly enhanced.

A levy was introduced in 1998 to help fund the waterfront reform agenda, in particular to fund redundancies that were occurring as part of the waterfront reform. There has been $247 million collected through that levy and it has funded, amongst other things, redundancy packages for 1,487 employees.

Cameron Thompson (Blair, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Cameron Thompson interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Blair is warned!

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

When this levy was introduced it was indicated that the expectation was that it would take until 2010 for the cost of this redundancy package and the reform to be funded. I am pleased to inform the House today that the levy will be lifted from the end of this month—four years ahead of schedule. The job has been done, the funds have been collected and this package of reforms has been completed.

I acknowledge and thank the members of the Maritime Industry Finance Co. for their effective stewardship of this program. I particularly acknowledge the work of our former colleague Peter Reith, who led this reform process and put in place the mechanisms which our country is now benefiting from richly. We have had substantial reform on the waterfront, and that reform process is now at an advanced stage. There is still more work to be done, and I acknowledge the work of the member for Gwydir, as Minister for Transport and Regional Services, and others who played key roles in driving this agenda. We copped endless criticism from the other side of the House. They are silent now. They recognise as well that our waterfront is a much better place, we have achieved a lot of reform and our country is the richer for it.