WORLD Maritime Day is today, recognising the invaluable efforts of millions of seafarers, dockers, ferry and port workers to keep global supply chains operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, while highlighting the plight of hundreds of thousands seafarers who have been unable to return home to their families due to the crisis.

Organised by the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization, the event shines a spotlight on the vital role of maritime workers in Australia’s security and economic success.

The Maritime Union of Australia said that with more than 98 percent of Australia’s imports and exports carried by sea, the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the urgent need to reinvigorate the nation’s domestic shipping industry.

MUA national secretary and International Transport Workers' Federation president Paddy Crumlin said this year had demonstrated the absolutely essential work of seafarers and dockers, who are ensuring vital medical supplies and essential household goods continue to arrive in Australia.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic threatened global supply chains, the importance of maritime workers was thrust into the spotlight, with their hard work responsible for keeping fuel, food, and other essential goods flowing,” Mr Crumlin said.

“Without the efforts of maritime workers, Australia’s economy would have collapsed, our health system would have run critically short of equipment, households would have been unable to access essential products, and our resources and manufactured goods would not have been exported to the world.

“This invisible workforce responsible for keeping our island nation operating now faces their own crisis, with hundreds of thousands stuck onboard ships, in some cases for up to 18 months, unable to return to their families due to border closures and a lack of government efforts to repatriate them.

“The Australian Government must do more to address this humanitarian crisis by facilitating the movement of international seafarers through the country so crew changes can once again take place.”

Mr Crumlin said World Maritime Day also highlighted the need to revitalise Australia’s shipping industry, including by creating a strategic fleet of Australian-flagged vessels crewed by Australian workers that can improve our sovereign self-sufficiency and the security for our nation’s fuel and supply capabilities.

“As an island nation, maritime trade keeps the economy ticking, but very few large trading vessels still fly the Australian red ensign, which has undermined our economic sovereignty as supply chains become increasingly reliant on foreign owned, crewed and flagged ships,” he said.

“A smart island nation needs a strong merchant navy — a lesson highlighted by this global pandemic.

“As the number of Australian-crewed vessels declines, not only are quality jobs lost, but our country is left vulnerable to global shocks that can disrupt maritime trade.

“Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack put out a statement today honouring Australian seafarers in the same week that he released a discussion paper seeking to further deregulate Australian shipping and destroy our industry.

“This discussion paper is a further step in building on the government's negligence and abandonment of the national interest under the current policy settings which ignore the lessons of COVID and fuel security.

“Decades of neglect have seen the industry hollowed out, leaving Australia almost entirely dependent on foreign flag-of-convenience vessels, often registered in tax havens and crewed by exploited visa workers on as little as $2 per hour, to move cargo around the coast.”

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PERSPECTIVES from local governments will be heard on Friday, along with bodies representing conservation, natural resource management and farming, as the House of Representatives Environment and Energy Committee conducts another public hearing for its inquiry into the problem of feral and domestic cats in Australia.

Committee Chair, Ted O’Brien MP said the Committee’s inquiry haD received nearly 160 submissions which highlight “the complex nature of the legal, environmental and social factors surrounding feral and domestic cats in Australia”.

He said, “Friday’s public hearing provides the Committee with a further opportunity to build upon its evidence base regarding the impact that cats have on the environment and on agriculture in Australia, and the role of local governments and others in responding to the growing cat problem.”

A full program for the hearing is available on the Committee’s website here.

Public hearing details

Date: Friday 25 September 2020
Time: 10.15am to 2.45pm
Location: via teleconference

The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live (audio only).

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MONASH University’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) has climbed 16 places in the QS 2021 Global MBA Rankings to 73 in the world.

The Monash MBA now ranks in the world’s top 28 percent out of 258 MBA programs from 40 countries. In the Oceania region, the Monash MBA ranks third, a position it has held for the past three years.

The results come after Monash University ranked in the top 5 percent of universities overall in the QS World University Rankings 2021, rising three places to 55th globally.

Monash Business School’s director of MBA programs, professor Patrick Butler, said the latest results cemented Monash’s reputation as a world-leading institution for executive learning.

“The Monash MBA is focused on producing the next generation of top-tier leaders, whether they be corporate heads of business, leaders of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or start-up entrepreneurs,” Professor Butler said.

“Our MBA programs are dynamic and agile, equipping today’s executives with the business acumen and social skill set to not only lead but also drive positive change in the evolving global business economy.”

The Monash MBA has global reach, partnering with universities and business schools worldwide, including the Shanghai-based China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), which has campuses in Beijing, Zurich and Accra.

Prof. Butler said Monash prided itself on a diverse cohort; the 2020 MBA intake comprises an equal split of men and women from 11 countries, with 17 industries represented. The sectors with the highest concentration of MBA students are construction, manufacturing, and medicine and allied health.

In addition to intensive theoretical study, the two-year program also involves experience-based modules, consulting projects, overseas learning and industry engagement opportunities. 

www.monash.edu

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THE Queensland Resources Council has welcomed a $500 million investment by Glencore which will see its Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville refinery extend operations beyond 2022.

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said 570 direct jobs would be secured at a time when Queensland’s unemployment rate is forecast to rise to 9 percent due to the impacts of COVID-19 and welcomed an additional financial incentive from the Palaszczuk Government.

“This is a significant investment from Glencore and will be a huge boost to the regional economies in the north and north-west of Queensland with a further 1000 indirect jobs supported,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“An additional financial incentive has been provided by the Palaszczuk Government to assist with the continued operations following constructive discussions between both parties.

“Smelters and refineries generate downstream jobs in the mining equipment and technology services (METS) sector which supply and service the resources industry.

“I visited Townsville yesterday to promote the importance of the resources sector to Queensland’s economic recovery and the feedback I received was the sector’s massive contribution to jobs and regional economies," Mr Macfarlane said.

“The resources industry will continue to play a critical role in keeping Queenslanders working and earning through COVID-19 and will be central to the State’s future economic prosperity post-COVID-19.

“During the COVID-19 response and its recovery, the resources sector has kept as many of the 372,000 Queenslanders who work in or because of our industry working and earning.”

www.qrc.org.au

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