BY KAYNE STEPHENS
Hunter seafarers have hit out against a plan to add the sector to a priority list for skilled migrant workers.
The Federal Government is proposing to include seafarers as a priority occupation for skilled migration, opening the door to the recruitment of seafarers from overseas rather than employing or training local workers.
The Maritime Union of Australia says Australian workers are already struggling for employment due to economic downturn and travel restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Union's Newcastle Branch Secretary, Glenn Williams, says workers in the Hunter are being replaced by cheap foreign labour.
He says it would be a major blow for an already struggling workforce.
"In the the Hunter region alone, we would have close to sixty unemployed seafarers that have been devastated by COVID and also the Government's policies in decimating Australia's shipping.
"So at a time when seafarers are already struggling for employment, this would just absolutely decimate their opportunity to get employment," he said.
Mr. Williams says allowing foreign ships off the coast will replace Australian maritime jobs.
"It's cheap foreign labour. I think this government doesn't like Australian workers. They want to find the lowest common denominator," he said.
The Union says it's also concerned about the conditions and pay of migrant workers in some circumstances.
"We see examples every day of seafarers being exploited on the Australian coast at the expense of Australian workers," Mr Williams said.
"These people are paid as little as $2 an hour. They're severely exploited, they live in harsh conditions, and it's just terrible treatment."
The Maritime Union's National Secretary, Paddy Crumlin, says Australian fleets are a vital aspect of the nation's infrastructure.
“A smart island nation needs a self-sufficient maritime industry, which is why the Federal Government should be investing in the development of a strategic fleet of local vessels, rather than further weakening our critically-important maritime supply chains.”
Glenn Williams says Australia's coast should be treated like a "blue highway" for Australian fleets to deliver resources during times of crisis.
"If we don't have Australian ships and we don't have Australian crewed vessels, then there's no opportunity for those things to happen in the future," he said.
"It's just crazy at this time when people are struggling and people want to work that they'd be replaced by cheap foreign labour."
Image: Port of Newcastle
