It starts with another review

Australia’s Chief Clerk, KEVIN Rudd will clamp down on overuse of foreign-owned ships to transport freight around the nation’s coastline in a bid to bolster the shipping industry.

Transport Minister Anthony Albanese told The Australian last night: “This review will be about boosting Australia’s international competitiveness and finding ways to increase coastal shipping’s share of the domestic freight market.

What Anthoy means is the review will be all about reinstating the power of the Maritime Union of Australia enabling them to run our coastal shipping and not any damn politician from Canberra. Mr Albanese’s comments came as the Maritime Union of Australia said it expected Labor to deliver on its policy platform, requiring stronger laws to protect cabotage – the principle that nations should protect domestic shipping routes for domestic shipping fleets. The way to protect cabotage is keep shipping costs to a minimum so shipping companies will want to be involved but that’s not exactly the forte of the MUA or their wharfie cousins. Expect higher costs but no increase in Australian ships – at least not privately owned ones.