OPINION: Where is the government’s support for seafarer welfare funding?

The health, wellbeing and recuperation of seafarers depend on 21^st century funding for port welfare facilities. In Australia, the current institutional paralysis-by-analysis and lack of decisive action are preventing the logic and compassion of delivering this obvious evolution.

Two years ago, Human Rights at Sea (HRAS) published a legal opinion highlighting the risk of Australia breaching its welfare obligations under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC) if it fails to secure sufficient long-term funding for shore-based welfare facilities. This opinion clearly emphasized how and why updated legislation, favouring sustainable levy funding, could significantly improve welfare safeguards for the more-than 340,000 seafarers who annually arrive in Australian ports.

Incisive advocacy by HRAS secured sustainable funding in New Zealand, but their three-year campaign to secure a similar model in Australia has failed. It is absolutely mystifying why such a modest and fully justifiable levy, so easily put in place, has not been realised. And now, ambivalence is the order of the day. Sustainable funding did not even make it onto the agenda of the most recent Seafarer Welfare Conference held in Fremantle.

Yet, in essence, this issue can be accomplished through minimal legislative amendments. The solution lies in ring-fencing a small percentage of existing maritime levy funds, overseen by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

While it is admirable that individual port authorities contribute substantial amounts to seafarer welfare, in order for funding to be fair and equitable in all ports, it demands national responsibility.

It is unconscionable that, with a multi-trillion-dollar shipping industry, seafarer welfare providers in this country are still required to offer an invaluable service on the back of donations, SIM card sales, and ageing volunteers. The amounts received are insufficient to employ young professionals (who might otherwise see this as a career path) and provide the services that seafarers really need.

It is time – well past time – for a committed focus and political will to secure sustainable funding for seafarers’ welfare in Australia.