MARITIME workers fear they are being put at risk of exposure to the deadly coronavirus as a result of the arrival of container vessels from Mainland China, which in some cases are docking in breach of the Federal Government’s 14-day travel ban.

Workers at Melbourne’s Webb Dock were alarmed following the arrival of the Hong Kong-flagged Cosco Thailand container vessel. An inspector from the Maritime Union of Australia was initially told it had sailed from another Australian port, but it was subsequently discovered that the vessel had actually departed Ningbo in mainland China.

Coronavirus warning signage has now been installed on the gangway, with access to the vessel limited, visitors required to wear face masks at all times, and maritime workers warned not to shake hands with the crew.

In Darwin, workers demanded a delay to the planned docking of the Singapore-flagged Kota Nebula yesterday, with the vessel having departed a port in mainland China on February 3.

While the Australian Government has imposed a ban on foreign nationals entering Australia “for 14 days from the time they have left or transited through mainland China”, the Kota Nebula was granted permission to dock in Darwin just 11 days after its last potential coronavirus exposure.

The Cosco Thailand was likewise allowed to dock less than 14 days after departing China, with workers, including pilots, tugboat crews, linesmen, and other port workers coming into direct contact with the crew of the vessel without being made aware of the potential risk of coronavirus exposure.

The Maritime Union of Australia said both incidents highlight the failure of the Australian Government’s self-reporting system, which relies on shipping companies disclosing potential coronavirus risks and untrained seafarers identifying possible infections.

“The Australian Government has imposed strict travel restrictions that prevent air travel by anyone who has been in mainland China in the previous 14 days, yet these vessels are being allowed to dock less than a fortnight after leaving Chinese ports,” MUA national secretary Paddy Crumlin said.

“The reason for the 14 day travel ban is that the incubation period for the coronavirus is two weeks, so it is completely possible that crew members from these vessels may be infected but not yet show symptoms.

“Local maritime workers, including those who board the vessel to pilot them into port and those working to unload them, are all being put at unacceptable risk of exposure through the decisions to allow these vessels to dock in breach of the travel ban.

“The broader community are also being put at risk by the failure to implement proper quarantine measures for commercial vessels, which provides a direct route by which this disease could enter Australia.

“There have been numerous confirmed cases of coronavirus among seafarers departing China, which is why it is so important that this vessel not be permitted to dock.”

Mr Crumlin said it was alarming that the Australian Government was still relying on merchant vessels self-declaring any biosecurity threats, including suspected coronavirus cases.

“The Australian Government sat on its hands for weeks following the outbreak, saying virtually nothing about one of the most vulnerable biosecurity areas: ports and shipping,” he said.

“Despite the Health Department finally putting out guidance, including additional measures for vessels that departed mainland China from February 1, these rules are not being enforced.

“What measures are occurring appear to be driven by individual port management, rather than a coordinated national biosecurity response," Mr Crumlin said.

“The failure to implement one of the most important guidelines — a 14 day exclusion for people departing mainland China — is placing the local maritime and transport workforce at risk, and by extension the general public.

“Merchant vessels don’t have doctors on board, and we are not seeing health checks being undertaken by Australian authorities before they dock, meaning the identification of this major health threat is being left to untrained seafarers.

“The Australian Government needs to urgently rectify this situation, enforce the requirement that any vessel that has departed China wait 14 days before docking in Australia, and conduct proper health checks on all crew before they make contact with any Australian maritime workers.

“The Australian public deserve to know that biosecurity on our maritime borders is being exercised properly and transparently, providing the protection they need from this growing pandemic.”

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IN THE BIGGEST fine of its kind ever issued in New South Wales, Ladbrokes and Neds have been convicted and ordered to pay a total of $207,500 for offering illegal gambling inducements to NSW residents.

Under current NSW law, wagering operators found guilty of promoting inducements to gamble, face fines of up to $110,000 per offence and company directors can be criminally prosecuted.

Following an investigation by Liquor and Gaming NSW, Ladbrokes, which owns Neds, was fined in Downing Centre Local Court for each of four Ladbrokes and two Neds advertisements they ran across Channel 7, Instagram and Facebook in 2018.

The advertisements offered bonus bets for a smaller deposit, such as a deal to 'Deposit $50, get $250 in bonus bets'.  

The court found these bonus bets only applied to people who opened new betting accounts.

Liquor and Gaming NSW assistant director of compliance, Dimitri Argeres, said the clear inducements to gamble and open a betting account were accessible to all users on social media.

“Inducements are known to increase the risk of gambling harm and these advertisements reached a broad segment of the population,” Mr Argeres said.

“In NSW such advertisements are restricted to registered betting account holders. This record fine should serve as a reminder that betting operators have an obligation to ensure their gambling advertising complies with NSW laws.

“Penalties of this magnitude are not easily absorbed into running costs.”

Under the NSW Betting and Racing Act, it is an offence to publish a gambling advertisement that includes any inducement to participate or participate frequently, in any gambling activity.

Ladbrokes and Neds have the right to appeal the decision.

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RSL QUEENSLAND has welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement that veterans will be counted in the 2021 Census.

RSL Queensland general manager for Veteran Services, Rob Skoda said accurate demographic data about Australia’s Defence community would facilitate enhanced support services targeted to veterans’ unique needs.

“For the first time, we’ll have a clear picture of exactly how many veterans there are among the Australian population, as well as demographic data such as their ages and locations,” Mr Skoda said.

“Greater clarity about the veteran population and their needs is critical to ensuring adequate resources are deployed where veterans are located, and that our services meet their needs more effectively.”

He said RSL Queensland provided a comprehensive range of services, including:

• help finding civilian employment
• scholarships for tertiary or vocational education
• support for homeless veterans
• assistance with DVA claims.

www.rslqld.org

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) will hold a public hearing for its Review of the mandatory data retention regime.

The chair, Andrew Hastie MP, said, "This hearing will allow the committee to hear from further interested civil society stakeholders as well as the communications industry peak body on the mandatory data retention regime. We will consider these issues closely and carefully."

The mandatory data retention regime is the legislative framework which requires carriers, carriage service providers and internet service providers to retain a defined set of telecommunications data for two years, ensuring that such data remains available for law enforcement and national security investigations

Further information on the inquiry can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Date: February 14, 2020
Time: 8.30am – 12.20 pm
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

A full program for the hearing can be found here.

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