MUA to present five-point plan to coastal shipping hearing

<p>As the Maritime Union of Australia prepared to front the federal transport committee’s coastal shipping hearing in Canberra today (Friday, May 16), it said it would call on the Rudd Government to use part of the Building Australia Fund to support the revitalisation of Australian shipping. </p> <p>The call was part of a five-step plan to halt the decline of Australian shipping following a decade of neglect by the previous Government that saw the fleet shrink by one third, the MUA said. </p> <p>The Government will be asked to: </p> <p>&#8226 Close current loopholes that allow foreign vessels to replace Australia ships on domestic routes</p> <p>&#8226 Provide financial incentives for Australian companies to operate Australian flagged vessels, including accelerated depreciation</p> <p>&#8226 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</p> <p>&#8226 Review the tax system to provide incentives for Australian operators with foreign vessels to reflag ships locally and</p> <p>&#8226 Invest in an Australian maritime workforce to meet demand for skills and labour in the industry.</p> <p>&#8220Australia is an island nation at the far end of the global supply chain &#8211 this simple proposition explains why a national shipping industry is vital,&#8221 MUA national secretary Paddy Crumlin said.</p> <p>"In an era of heightened terror threats, Australians are demanding standards of maritime security that only a national fleet can provide.</p> <p>&#8220And in addressing the global challenge of climate change, shipping will play an important role in reducing greenhouse emissions.&#8221</p> <p>Between 1996 and 2006, the number of Australian-registered trading vessels fell from 75 to just 46.</p> <p>&#8220The 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," Mr Crumlin said.</p> <p>&#8220The surprise is not that Australian shipping has declined in the last 10 years, but that any Australian vessels remain at all.</p> <p>&#8220The Rudd Government now has an opportunity invest in the maritime industry and its infrastructure &#8211 neglected for so many years under the Howard regime.&#8221</p> <br />