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

My advice is that there is no date on which the applications are made. Companies can make applications throughout the year to meet their operational requirements. The bill aims to encourage greater planning in the industry and to provide greater visibility of the trades around the coast. By setting a minimum number of voyages, both the shippers and operators can enter into commercial negotiations based on longer-term business arrangements, which of course provides greater certainty for both parties. The policy intent of these measures, after consultation with the industry, is to provide a better operating basis for the industry as a whole. Senator, you are obviously concerned about very small numbers of people in, given all the advice that has been put to me, very unusual circumstances. I suggest that it might pay you to look at the 97 per cent of permits that are being issued to operators who use five or more permits.