Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

The essential assumption that Senator Colbeck is putting to this chamber is that industries in Tasmania should be able to rely upon vessels crewed by foreign crews and they should be able to provide a competitive alternative to Australian flagged ships or Australian crewed vessels on the basis that they operate at lower rates of pay—that they should operate on lower conditions for Australian workers. That is the basis for your claim for a reduction of the rates. What you are doing is actually supporting people breaking the law to do such a thing.

The assumptions that you are making are ones that we do not accept. It is not appropriate in the modern age to rely on that form of unfair competition to sustain lower rates in terms of freight—when you are paying less wages for what should be the same work.