MUA proposal for Australian Shipping

The Maritime Union of Australia is calling on the Rudd Government to use part of the Building Australia Fund to support the revitalisation of Australian shipping.

The call is part of a five step plan to halt the decline of Australian shipping following a decade of neglect by the Howard Government which saw the fleet shrink by a staggering one third. MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin presented evidence to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Coastal Shipping Policy and Regulation in Canberra today and call on the Rudd Government to:

1. Close current loopholes that allow foreign vessels to replace Australia ships on domestic routes
2. Provide financial incentives for Australian companies to operate Australian flagged vessels including accelerated depreciation
3. Fund maritime infrastructure improvements to bring support for shipping into line with support for road and rail, and promote the greenhouse benefits of maritime transport
4. Review the tax system to provide incentives for Australian operators with foreign vessels to reflag ships locally
5. Invest in an Australian maritime workforce to meet the demand for skills and labour in the industry.

"Australia is an island nation at the far end of the global supply chain - this simple proposition explains why a national shipping industry is vital," says Mr Crumlin.

"In an era of heightened terror threats, Australians are demanding standards of maritime security that only a national fleet can provide.

"And in addressing the global challenge of climate change shipping will play an important role in reducing greenhouse emissions."

Between 1996 and 2006 the number of Australian registered trading vessels fell from 75 to just 46.

"The Howard Government legacy in shipping means that for as little as $22, an Australian vessel can reflag, avoiding Australian labour and tax laws, while continuing to operate on the Australian coast.

"The surprise is not that Australian shipping has declined in the last ten years but that any Australian vessels remain at all.

"The Rudd Government now has an opportunity invest in the maritime industry and its infrastructure - neglected for so many years under the Howard regime," said Mr Crumlin.

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