Third stevedoring entrant not in nation’s interest: MUA

<p>The Maritime Union of Australia has publicly rejected the New South Wales Government’s ports competition agenda, arguing the case for a third stevedoring entrant is &#8220not in Australia’s national interest&#8221.</p> <p>The entrant of a new ports player would bring no new import or export business, the MUA said, and would dilute stevedoring investment capability, setting back labour productivity.</p> <p>Further, the MUA said the &#8220stable, flexible and highly productive set of labour relations arrangements&#8221 achieved over a cycle of three enterprise agreements, which set the stage for the next wave of labour productivity improvements available through new capital investment, were at risk. </p> <p>MUA national secretary Paddy Crumlin said today (Thursday, February 1) that economic evidence failed to back the merits of the argument in favour of a new stevedoring entity.</p> <p>&#8220Neither the NSW Government or the Queensland Government has demonstrated an economic case for new stevedoring entrants as the golden goose of competition,&#8221 he said.</p> <p>&#8220On the contrary, the economic evidence, including the NSW Government’s own commission of inquiry, has cast doubt on the economic benefits.</p> <p>&#8220It’s not the solution to improve intra-port competition or greater port efficiencies.&#8221</p> <p>Mr Crumlin said productivity and efficiency gains lay in improving the landside interface with ports and in an overhaul of port charges and stevedoring rents, to provide a revenue stream in a period of budget deficit, or to fund-delayed port investment.</p> <p>&#8220Facilitating new stevedoring entrants, under anti-competitive tender arrangements to achieve political and government revenue outcomes, is a recipe for industrial instability,&#8221 he said.</p> <p>NSW ports minister Joe Tripodi yesterday reiterated his government’s plan to open up the waterfront to a third player. </p> <p>Last year, the State Government came up with a plan to block the incumbent stevedores at Port Botany from tendering to operate the third container terminal. </p> <p>Entrenched industry figures, including former P&#38O Ports managing director Tim Blood and Toll Holdings boss Paul Little, have publicly criticised the merits of the argument in favour of the entrance of a third player, saying the industry is not yet capable of sustaining another stevedoring business. </p> <p>Both have said their respective business’s port investment capital would be affected.</p> <br />