Glenn Lazarus (Queensland, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I stand today very disappointed, having to speak about the Maritime Transport and Offshore Facilities Security Amendment (Inter-State Voyages) Bill 2015. It should never have seen the light of day, but here we are. That goes to say that I will not be supporting this bill. My understanding of the bill is that it will water down the current Maritime Transport and Offshore Facilities Security Act 2003, which was put in place by the Howard government to improve Australia's maritime security. The current act requires seafarers working on all Australian-registered ships which trade between states or overseas to be assessed by ASIO and the Australian Federal Police to determine whether they are a security risk to Australia's ships and maritime infrastructure and, importantly, the safety and security of our country as a whole. Seafarers who pass this assessment are issued with a Maritime Security Identification Card, or MSIC. In effect, this card means that the seafarer is not considered a risk to our country's security or the security of the vessel. The amendment bill will cease this requirement for Australian-registered ships which move between ports around Australia. Strangely, however, it will not remove this requirement for Australian-registered ships which trade overseas.

At a time when terrorism is at an all-time high and security is a critical issue for our country, I cannot understand why the government would be putting forward such a bill and the Labor Party would be supporting this bill. The effect of this bill is that companies will be able to bring in foreign labour to work on Australian-registered vessels and these people will not be required to undertake a security assessment. This will simply make it easier for companies to sack Australian labour and bring in 457 workers. If this bill is successful—and unfortunately it is, because Labor has decided to get in bed with the government once again—foreign workers working on ships will be able to move around Australia from port to port without any Australian maritime security assessment. These people will be able to just get off the ship at any port.

What sickens me in all of this is that the coalition and the Labor Party all prattle on about how important it is to support Aussie jobs and Aussie workers but then go about undermining Aussie jobs and Aussie workers by putting up bills like this one that do nothing more than remove barriers and help big businesses to sack Australian workers and bring in 457 workers. I have consulted with areas of the shipping industry, and they are opposed to this bill. Every person I have spoken to is of the opinion that the bill will help to kill off Australia's maritime and shipping industry, which seems to be the government's ultimate plan.

Unlike the government and Labor, I have listened to the people of Queensland and the rest of Australia, I am voicing my disapproval of this bill and I am voting how the people of this country want me to vote. They want me to vote against this bill, and that is exactly what I am doing. Perhaps, if the government had consulted with the maritime and shipping industry before drafting this bill, we would not be here today wasting taxpayers' money and time considering this bill. I absolutely oppose this bill.