Sue Lines (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to talk about the sacking of Australian seafarers—those hardworking seafarers of the MV Portland. On 13 January, in the dead of the night and with the full knowledge of the Turnbull government, Alcoa forcibly removed the Australian seafarer crew from the MV Portland. These Australian seafarers were sacked and immediately replaced by foreign workers, who then sailed the MV Portland to Singapore. This could only have happened with all of the appropriate paperwork in place—all of the i's dotted and the t's crossed. This is managed by a number of government agencies, who have told us, through estimates and inquiries, that the Turnbull government was kept well and truly informed and knew exactly what was going on well ahead of the actions on the night of 13 January.

Of course, the Liberal government has form on selling out Australian waterfront jobs. In 1998, in the long-running Patrick's dispute, it became clear that the Liberal government was at the front and centre of Australian waterfront workers being sacked. In 1998, under Prime Minister John Howard, hundreds of Australian workers lost their jobs. I will never forget the gleeful face of the industrial relations minister at the time, Mr Peter Reith, who made the announcement on national television that these workers had been stood down. Not a skerrick of remorse was shown; in fact, Mr Reith was almost gleeful with his announcement.

Fast forward to 2016, and, once again, we have a Liberal government at the front and centre of an industrial dispute and, once again, selling out Australian seafarer jobs. Certainly it is clear, from Senate inquiries and estimates, that former minister Truss was kept well informed by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. This was done, as they told us in Senate estimates, with regular updates and even, on 24 December, through supplying talking points to the minister.

It is also clear from Senate estimates that Minister Cash was kept well informed by the Department of Employment and also knew ahead of time that Alcoa intended to use security guards in the dead of the night to forcibly remove Australian seafarers from the MV Portland. The facts are that neither Minister Truss nor Minister Cash—indeed, no-one from the Turnbull government—lifted a finger to save those Australian jobs from the MV Portland. The Turnbull government stood by in the full knowledge that hardworking, law-abiding, taxpaying Australians would be sacked and their jobs taken by foreign workers who were underpaid and on $2 an hour.

It is clear that, once again, the Turnbull government has sacrificed workers in favour of the big end of town—this time, Alcoa. Nobody on this side of parliament and in the townships around Portland believes the Turnbull government when they say that will save the smelter. The piddling amount of money that Alcoa saves by using a foreign crew will not save the smelter, if it is, indeed, in trouble.

The Turnbull government's pathological hatred of unions and organised labour is obvious for all to see. Just as Australians did not support the government's actions against workers and the MUA in 1998, they will not support the government aiding and abetting the use of foreign workers in Australian waters, taking away the livelihoods of fellow Australians. I cannot believe that the Turnbull government has not shown any remorse or even anger that Australian workers have been forced out of their jobs and that we now have foreign crews on Australian waters. This is the thin end of the wedge. Australians will not stand for it. Australians stand for a fair go, and it is obvious they will never get that from the Turnbull government.