Union takes minister to court

Date: 09 May 2000

Deputy PM alleged in breach of Navigation Act

The Maritime Union is taking legal action in the Federal Court today against the government policy of permitting foreign ships to carry Australian domestic cargo at the expense of Australian ships.

At the centre of the court action is the recent decision by the Department of Transport to award single voyage permits to to Western Bulk Shipping for a fertiliser contract.

The permit which provided cargo for the Maltese flag MV Algarve and more recently the Singapore flag MV J Emma has left the former ANL bulk carrier River Torrens and its Australian crew at anchor, in Brisbane, without work.

"We will not stand by while the government and shippers continue to rort the single voyage system to put Australian ships and crew out of work," said acting national secretary Paddy Crumlin. "Shipping is part of Australian domestic transport sector. But it is now being taken over by foreign ships and labour. I suppose this government will have road and rail follow suite."

Under the Australian Navigation Act, domestic cargo is restricted to Australian flagged and crewed vessels where possible. But Australian ship owners have complained directly to the minister for transport, Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson, that the government is promoting a policy whereby shippers and cargo forwarders are manipulating the system to obtain cheap cargo rates from foreign, tax exempt, ships crewed by Third World labour. They do this by waiting for Australian ships to be far from port before demanding urgent carriage of goods or by insisting on tonnage above and beyond the small coastal vessels.

The maritime unions have commissioned a report which concludes that the government policy of allowing foreign ships to take Australian cargo may be in breach of the Navigation Act. Union lawyers Maurice Blackburn will be arguing for injunctions against Western Bulk Shipping carrying any further Australian fertiliser before Justice Sunderg in the Federal Court, Melbourne at 2.15, today.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport John Anderson, Western Mining and the Algarve are named as respondents.

For further information

Contact:	Zoe Reynolds
Union:	Maritime Union of Australia
Phone:	0417 229873
WWW:	http://mua.tcp.net.au/

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