❓ Mr. Love questions the Minister for Ports about potential port disruptions due to a threatened lockout by Svitzer. The Minister expresses disappointment with Svitzer's actions and clarifies that contingency plans exist, but they don't assume companies will initiate lockouts.
AnsweredQoN 726Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SVITZER AUSTRALIA —
TUG OPERATORS
726. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Ports:
I refer to tugboat operators at Western
Australian ports and to the threatened lockout by Svitzer, which is putting our
job-creating export industries at risk of standstill.
(1) Is this issue addressed in the
various port authority business continuity plans?
(2) Has the
minister been briefed on these plans and any contingencies for disruption at WA
ports?
(3) Will the
minister guarantee that WA ports will not come to a standstill if this action
goes ahead, causing untold damage to our major import and export industries?
Several members
interjected.
The SPEAKER : The Minister for
Ports—not Water, thank you.
TUG OPERATORS
726. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Ports:
I refer to tugboat operators at Western
Australian ports and to the threatened lockout by Svitzer, which is putting our
job-creating export industries at risk of standstill.
(1) Is this issue addressed in the
various port authority business continuity plans?
(2) Has the
minister been briefed on these plans and any contingencies for disruption at WA
ports?
(3) Will the
minister guarantee that WA ports will not come to a standstill if this action
goes ahead, causing untold damage to our major import and export industries?
Several members
interjected.
The SPEAKER : The Minister for
Ports—not Water, thank you.
AnswerView source ↗
Although they do actually have a relationship!
(1)–(3) I thank the member for the question. In relation
to this issue, a Fair Work Commission hearing is underway at the moment.
We are waiting to see the outcome of that. I really hope that this dispute can
be avoided.
I think the member is asking:
should we contract on the basis that we assume that contractors and private
companies will take unprecedented action to lock out workers six weeks before
Christmas? No, we do not. The idea that a company can say that it will lock out
workers and cause enormous disruption to both the national and state economies
is not something that we assume in contracting. I will say that if we did do
that, we would not contract out any services. If you want us to socialise all
forms of government, fair enough! If you
believe socialism is the way to go, that is fine. It has not worked in some
parts of the world , but that is what you are advocating. We have
contingency plans. Ports are very, very mindful of all the different things
that can happen. Were we planning that a tugboat operator would lock out all
its workers as a way to trigger some Fair Work Commission hearings? I was not
assuming that.
In relation to some of the comments
that have been made, there are single tugboat operators in many of our ports,
and there always have been—because of the volume, it is hard to have
two different operators there. Member, I think what has transpired does not
look good for the tugboat operator. The idea that it would send out a letter
saying that it is going to lock out all the tugboat workers on Friday, as a means
of testing some issues federally, I do not believe was the way to go. The Fair
Work Commission is currently hearing those issues. Do all our ministers now
have to plan and assume, for every contract, that every company will lock out
its workers and have an impact on economic activity in that way? I do not think
we would assume that to be the normal course of operating in Western Australia.
(1)–(3) I thank the member for the question. In relation
to this issue, a Fair Work Commission hearing is underway at the moment.
We are waiting to see the outcome of that. I really hope that this dispute can
be avoided.
I think the member is asking:
should we contract on the basis that we assume that contractors and private
companies will take unprecedented action to lock out workers six weeks before
Christmas? No, we do not. The idea that a company can say that it will lock out
workers and cause enormous disruption to both the national and state economies
is not something that we assume in contracting. I will say that if we did do
that, we would not contract out any services. If you want us to socialise all
forms of government, fair enough! If you
believe socialism is the way to go, that is fine. It has not worked in some
parts of the world , but that is what you are advocating. We have
contingency plans. Ports are very, very mindful of all the different things
that can happen. Were we planning that a tugboat operator would lock out all
its workers as a way to trigger some Fair Work Commission hearings? I was not
assuming that.
In relation to some of the comments
that have been made, there are single tugboat operators in many of our ports,
and there always have been—because of the volume, it is hard to have
two different operators there. Member, I think what has transpired does not
look good for the tugboat operator. The idea that it would send out a letter
saying that it is going to lock out all the tugboat workers on Friday, as a means
of testing some issues federally, I do not believe was the way to go. The Fair
Work Commission is currently hearing those issues. Do all our ministers now
have to plan and assume, for every contract, that every company will lock out
its workers and have an impact on economic activity in that way? I do not think
we would assume that to be the normal course of operating in Western Australia.
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