Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

() (): I rise to speak about the uncertain future that seafarers on the CSL Brisbane have in front of them. Last week I met with Paul and Thomas, two men who unexpectedly found out only a number of weeks ago that they would no longer have work on the CSL Brisbane.

The CSL Brisbaneis a ship that predominantly carries commodities from one Australian port to another Australian port. Unfortunately, despite seeking assurances, seafarers on this ship have been told that there will not be work in the future. It is of great concern that it looks like the CSL Brisbane,which is now docked in Singapore, will be replaced. The Australian crew will be replaced by a foreign crew. This is an unacceptable situation, and one that the government needs to address.

I am giving a voice to both Thomas and Paul. They are at each end of the age spectrum in their careers. Thomas started when he was 19. He has spent six years on the ship and is now 25. He has serious concerns about what his employment will be in the future. He knows that there are many, many other ships where Australian crews are being replaced by foreign crews, and he is worried about being able to get another job. He has never been unemployed and is now facing the prospect of having to go into Centrelink and register. He is worried. He enjoyed the job and is worried that it is not in his future. Paul, has spent many, many years working—he says himself that he is a mature age. He is worried about what the future holds for him as well. He believes that the crew on the ship were a close-knit family of different ages and genders living in close confinement, and were very supportive. He believes that the crew were very productive, and that they made their schedules and worked very hard to deliver goods on time.

What we are seeing, unfortunately, is that these Australian seafarers are being replaced by foreign workers. This is a trend that is continuing. It is a trend that started on the Turnbull government's watch. The government needs to enact legislation. Despite trying to change legislation, which it was not successful in doing, it is now trying to go through the back door. It is time for the government to start paying attention to Australian jobs, to start paying attention to the voices of these seafarers, because they deserve to be heard. People like Paul and Thomas deserve to have jobs, and I ask the government to listen to them. (Time expired)