Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am concerned that the coastal shipping trade in Australia is sinking—and sinking fast. Between 2000 and 2012 national freight in Australia grew by 57 per cent, but shipping fell from an already small 27 per cent back to 17 per cent. This is because Australia has an inflated cost structure for coastal shipping. The cost of shipping commodities around the coast of Australia is high by global standards, and the shipping freight rates are rising further to new levels.    This has caused job losses in the shipping industry, and it also has a flow-on effect for land-based industries. We can thank the previous Labor government's reforms for destroying these jobs in a vital industry.

A government member: Shame!

It is a shame. The main beneficiary of these reforms was the Maritime Union at the expense of their own membership. I experienced this firsthand in my electorate of Flynn. We are an island nation. Gladstone is an important port in that whole freight circle. All freight, including cement and aluminium, are shipped out of Gladstone. This issue should be addressed as soon as possible. We must be cost competitive to meet global benchmarks and retain our marine workforce, which has already been badly depleted.