MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA
MEDIA RELEASE
Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Maritime Union welcomes WA Labor Government's Investment in Supply Chain Resilience
The Maritime Union of Australia welcomes today's announcement by the Cook Labor Government to establish a $5 million Supply Chain Resilience Fund aimed at bolstering Western Australia's shipping capability.
MUA WA Branch Secretary Will Tracey said the announcement was a positive step towards reintroducing a dedicated shipping service to the WA coast.
It comes at the same time that the MUA is working closely with the Federal Government to deliver on a long-term policy reform to revitalise Australian shipping through the Strategic Fleet of Australian crewed and Australian registered coastal trading vessels.
"The shipping task of an island nation such as Australia's is massive, but for many years our sovereign capacity to transport vital materials, fuels and supplies, as well as cargoes, has dwindled further and further. The action by state and federal governments towards reestablishing that sovereign capacity with initiatives such as the Strategic Fleet and WA Labor's commitment to state maritime transport capacity and resilience are crucial steps towards ensuring we retain that capacity to respond to economic, environmental and social crises in the national interest," said the MUA National Secretary, Paddy Crumlin.
"Today's announcement is a welcome one for the MUA and its members in WA, and our hope is that the $5 million will go toward returning a ship onto the WA coast," Mr Tracey said.
"Since the last state ship was pulled from the WA trade in 2013, road and rail closures have been a frequent occurrence as a result of floods, fires, and cyclones. And without fail, supermarket shelves are stripped bare in our regional and remote communities.
"The union warned back then it was a bad idea to stop the route, and we have been sounding the alarm bell what feels like every couple of months when interstate and intrastate roads and rails fail.
"We are also excited about the opportunity a consistent shipping route could bring in terms of training up young West Aussies who want to go to sea. Currently, the industry is almost 100 percent reliant on the training pipeline of the oil and gas industry, which is subject to boom-and-bust economic conditions.
"While there is more to be done, particularly from the Federal Government, to protect Australia's sovereignty when it comes to shipping, this is a positive step in the right direction."
The MUA has long advocated for the reinstatement of a dedicated WA coastal shipping service to ensure essential supplies reach communities during times of crisis and to strengthen local employment opportunities for Australian seafarers.
The union looks forward to working with the WA Government on ensuring this funding is directed toward re-establishing a reliable and sustainable coastal shipping service for the state.
