Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment, Senator Abetz. I refer to the Abbott government's plan to deregulate Australian coastal shipping. Can the minister confirm that the government's own cost-benefit analysis shows its plan would see four of the six ships currently carrying non-bulk cargo across Bass Strait sack most of their Australian workforce and replace them with majority foreign crews paid at Third World wages?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The short answer to that question is no. What I think most Australians realise is that, since the Labor Party and Green majority in this Senate forced legislation through this place in 2012, the actual amount of shipping undertaken by Australian-owned shipping has reduced by 64 per cent. That is under Labor's legislation. And do you know what that legislation was designed to do? It was to protect, boost and build the Australian coastal shipping service. Instead what we have witnessed is a further and even more rapid decline, as a result of which we now have truck after truck running up and down the Pacific Highway and across the Nullarbor Plain because it is so much cheaper to move products by truck than by ship. Most Australians would prefer to see our product being moved by ship rather than by trucks on our highways.

As I have said on a previous occasion, the shipping of sugar product from Bundaberg to Melbourne for the confectionery sector—just the shipping cost—costs more than the product and shipping it from Thailand to Melbourne. If you are concerned about Australian jobs, and especially onshore Australian jobs, you would seek to ensure that the coastal shipping service in this country is a lot better run than it has been since the 2012 forced through this place by the Labor-Green majority.

Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister advise the Senate how many Tasmanian seafarers will lose their jobs as a result of the government's plan to deregulate Australian coastal shipping?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As Senator Urquhart ought to know, shipping, especially across Bass Strait, is a costly business. It is one of the most expensive stretches in the world to ship a product across. As a result, it is prejudicing onshore Tasmanian jobs. The manufacturers and agricultural producers are finding it more difficult to get their product to world markets. Why? Because direct international shipping services to Tasmania are no longer continuing, because of Labor's 2012 coastal shipping changes.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order on direct relevance. Perhaps the minister, in the last 15 seconds, could answer the question, which was: how many Tasmanian seafarers will lose their jobs as a result of this government's plan to deregulate coastal shipping?

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Wong. I will remind the minister of the question.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Clearly the Labor Party does not want to hear about the onshore jobs that are being prejudiced by the ridiculous changes forced through this place by the Labor Party and the Greens. As far as we are concerned, there should be no job losses. (Time expired)

Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So the minister does not want to tell us how many jobs will be lost. Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister tell us: why is this minister more committed to delivering Work Choices on the waterfront than standing up for Australian jobs?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is all a bit sad, isn't it? This place is going through the farce of a Senate inquiry into this legislation. This particular piece of legislation is currently before the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, with submissions due by 21 August 2015. We now know that every single Labor senator has already—

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of order, I believe the minister is actually referring to a committee which is sitting at the moment and a committee activity which is taking place at the moment.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, Senator Moore should have taken that point of order on Senator Urquhart because she was asking questions about our legislation which is currently before the Senate committee. I thank Senator Moore for proposing to you that you should rule the question out of order, and I will join Senator Moore in inviting you to do so.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise another point of order. The minister was asked the question, 'Why is this minister more committed to delivering Work Choices on the waterfront than standing up for Australian jobs?' and he is talking about a committee. How can that possibly be directly relevant?

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, Senator Abetz.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on the point of order, it is very clear that the assertion in the primary question was that it was our legislation that was going to develop this, and that is what I am responding to.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! On the points of order, firstly, Senator Moore, there is no point of order because that standing order refers to the Committee of the Whole, not to committees. Secondly, on the other point of order, Senator Wong, that you raised in relation to relevance, I will inform the minister of the question and advise him he has 34 seconds in which to answer.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This policy of the government, which is now in the legislation, is currently before a Senate committee. Submissions close on 21 August. We now know that every single Labor senator has already prejudged and therefore anybody who comes before the committee will not get a fair hearing from Australian Labor Party senators because they have come in here with a fixed mind and they will not be providing the sort of independence and open mind that Senator Conroy was saying was so important. (Time expired)