George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, I present the committee's report, entitled Reviewing troubled waters: consideration of the government response to the 2012 inquiry into arrangements surrounding crimes at sea, together with the minutes and proceedings. International cruises are an increasingly popular holiday choice for Australians of all ages. In most cases, a cruise holiday will be a welcome escape from the pressures of everyday life. However, when accidents or crimes occur on board a cruise vessel, they can be very difficult for victims and law enforcement agencies to cope with.

This is not the first time the Social Policy and Legal Affairs Committee has reported on crimes at sea. In June 2013 the committee tabled a report, entitled Troubled waters , which investigated the arrangements surrounding crimes committed at sea. The report arose from a coronial inquest into the death of Ms Diana Brimble on board a P&O cruise ship in 2002. The Troubled waters report found that cruise safety had improved a great deal in the years since Ms Brimble's tragic death, but it also identified a number of areas in which safety practices could be improved. The report made 11 recommendations directed at preventing crimes at sea, caring for victims and making it easier for law enforcement agencies to investigate crimes at sea involving Australian citizens.

In November 2014, the committee received the Australian government's response to the Troubled waters report. The government had agreed to only two of the committee's 11 recommendations. Three were not agreed to, a further two were noted and four were agreed to in principle. The key recommendations that the government did not agree to were recommendation 1, which was on the collection and publication of independent statistics on crimes at sea, and recommendations 7,8 and 9, which would have made it a condition of entry to Australian ports that cruise operators meet minimum standards in responding to alleged crimes at sea, in crime scene management and in their reporting of alleged crimes at sea.

The committee reviewed the government response and subsequently held a private hearing so that the government could provide more information on that response. The hearing was also attended by representatives of the cruise ship industry and by Mr Mark Brimble on behalf of the International Cruise Victims Association. After careful consideration, the committee continues to hold concerns about the adequacy of the government response to its recommendations. We maintain that the collection and publication of statistical information on crimes at sea is a necessity. The cruise industry argued that cruise ships are comparatively safe, but there should be a way to verify those claims independently. Reliable and independent information is critical to the formulation of good policy and Australians should have access to accurate, independent information on the risks of travel.

With that in mind, the committee has recommended, once again, that the government take all necessary steps to ensure that information on crimes at sea is properly reported so that accurate statistics can be maintained and published. It is also critical that cruise lines operating in Australia extend appropriate care to victims of crime and that they maintain proper crime scene management and reporting practices. This will ensure that victims do not suffer more than they should and that crimes at sea can be prosecuted where possible.

At present, there is nothing to compel cruise lines to enact these measures other, I suppose, than fear of a social media backlash. But Twitter is not a form of accountability. There should be legal standards in relation to these matters and cruise lines should be denied access to our ports if they consistently put Australians at risk by failing to meet those standards.

This committee has been urging the industry to improve its safety practices for a number of years. We do note that industry practice has improved. But there continue to be reports about incidents which are made worse because safety technologies, such as man overboard systems, are not in place. So more does need to be done and we ask the government to act to ensure that Australians have the information they need to make informed choices about cruise safety and to ensure that cruise lines meet responsible safety and reporting standards.

We do not want to demonise the cruise ship industry. We do recognise the substantial contribution it makes to the tourism dollar. But we do say that more needs to be done to regulate the industry to make it safer for everyone and to give that greater standard of accountability that the cruise ship industry can then tout as well.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As deputy chair of the Social Policy and Legal Affairs Committee, I wish to commend the chair and committee members for their work throughout this inquiry into crimes at sea. I especially want to acknowledge the secretariat's support. I also wish to acknowledge the work of the members of the committee in the previous parliament who held the initial inquiry into crimes at sea.

As noted by the chair, international cruises are an increasingly popular holiday choice for Australians, so popular in fact that, according to the Cruise Lines International Association, more than one million Australians took a cruise holiday in 2014—a surge of 20 per cent from 2013. This confirms Australia's position as the world's fastest growing source of cruise passengers and the fourth largest total market in the world.

As has been identified by this report and the earlier Troubled waters report, current safety and reporting regulations for this large and rapidly growing industry are clearly inadequate. Indeed this has been again been highlighted in recent weeks in the coronial inquest into the tragic deaths of Kristen Schroder and Paul Rossington, who lost their lives after going overboard from the Carnival Spirit in May 2013. It was revealed at the inquest that the pair were not reported missing until some 16 hours after they went overboard—and CCTV footage was not being monitored.

The Troubled waters report, tabled in 2013, found that while cruise safety has improved a great deal there are a number of areas in which safety practices should be improved. The report made 11 recommendations directed at preventing crimes at sea, caring for victims and making it easier for law enforcement agencies to investigate crimes at sea involving Australian citizens. The committee remains concerned that the government took so long to consider the initial report and that it did not adequately address the recommendations made. For an industry that is growing at as rapid a pace as the cruise industry is, to neglect the work and recommendations of Troubled waters for some 18 months is unacceptable.

As noted by the chair, the government agreed to only two of the committee's 11 recommendations. Three were not agreed to, a further two were noted and four were agreed to in principle. The committee reviewed the government's inadequate response and subsequently held a private hearing to put a series of questions to the government regarding recommendations not taken up. The hearing was also attended by representatives of the cruise industry and the International Cruise Victims Association. The committee continues to hold concerns about the adequacy of the government's response to its recommendations.

The committee maintains that the collection and publication of statistical information on crimes at sea is essential. Evidence must back up the industry's claims that cruise ships are comparatively safe, and Australians should have access to accurate, independent information on the risks of travel. It is also critical that cruise lines operating in Australia extend appropriate care to victims of crime and that they maintain proper crime scene management and reporting practices. There should be legal standards in relation to these matters and cruise lines should be denied access to our ports if they consistently put Australians at risk by failing to meet them.

Across two parliaments now, this committee has been urging industry to improve its safety practices. As the chair noted, while there have been signs of improvement I would suggest that, as is graphically demonstrated by the current coronial inquest into the two deaths at sea that I mentioned earlier in this report, it is very clear that much more needs to be done. The government should act to ensure that Australians have the information they need to make informed decisions about cruise safety and to ensure that cruise lines meet reasonable safety and reporting standards. I strongly urge the government to reconsider their response and objections to the recommendations made by this committee.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the member for Dawson wish to move a motion in connection with the report to enable it to be debated on a future occasion?

George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the House take note of the report.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 39(c), the debate is adjourned. The resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.