“I’M calling on Minister King to urgently lodge a Section 11 exemption of the Coastal Trading Act 2012 to allow international carriers, who are at the ready, to bring in the supplies that this community [in the east Kimberley] is in desperate need of right now,” Senator Bridget McKenzie said in a speech to the Senate on Wednesday (8 March). She said a crisis was unfolding in the area as the region is left “struggling and stranded” after floods severed the main route into the area.
Under the Coastal Trading Act, the minister for transport can issue an exemption to the requirement for international ships carrying interstate cargo to have a temporary licence.
“Allowing international carriers into the region will halve the time that supplies can get into the Port of Wyndham and assist communities of Wyndham of Halls Creek, of Kununurra,” Ms McKenzie said.
“In excess of 9000 Australians who right now have empty supermarket shelves are getting the ADF to drop in supplies, and this government has been left asleep at the wheel.
“This is not some flash flooding event that just arrived yesterday. The first flooding event was months ago.”
Section 11 precedent
Ms McKenzie pointed out that Section 11 exemptions have been issued in the past, by the Prime Minister when he was infrastructure and transport minister, and Barnaby Joyce last year, under similar circumstances.
“Catherine King needs to wake up , recognise that she can make a difference to these communities, sign the exemption so they can get fresh food and supplies in in a sustainable manner,” Ms McKenzie said.
In a media statement, Ms McKenzie said repairs on the key connecting roads and bridges such as Great Northern Highway, the Victoria Highway, and Fitzroy Crossing will take months if not years to complete, making it necessary to have ships delivering to the region.
“In light of the ongoing closures, the federal government should urgently bring forward the upgrade of the Tanami Road given the proposed two-year rebuild of the Fitzroy Crossing bridge,” she said.
“Until then, east Kimberley will have to lean on alternative options, which should include shipping to Port Wyndham which will provide supplies in half the time barges from Derby and Darwin would take.
“To have communities stranded and living in total uncertainty about fresh food supplies is not acceptable.”
Insufficient response
Ms McKenzie said the Australian Defence Force has been requested to bring in emergency relief, but this is only a short-term plug to the problem.
“A barge service carrying goods is being deployed and is expected into the Port of Wyndham in the coming days, however these carriers are limited in their capacity and are slower than larger carriers,” she said.
Shipping Australia, the industry association for ocean shipping industries, pointed out that international shipping lines regularly call at the Port of Darwin, which is a few day’s sailing time from the Port of Wyndham.
“Pathetic”
Shipping Australia CEO Melwyn Noronha said this is a “shameful and disappointing situation”.
“The WA government and the federal government ought to be ashamed for letting regional Australians fall into a situation where they might run out of fresh food for their kids and where they can describe their people as being in danger of starting to starve,” he said.
“The government response – whether state or federal – has been lacking in terms of timeliness and scale. Responding with a small tug-and-barge delivery in March to the severing of freight infrastructure in January is pathetic.”
Mr Noronha said it is highly disappointing that the federal government has not meaningfully responded by enabling vessels from the international fleet to deliver food aid.
“Remember, early last year, landside supply chains to Western Australia were cut by floods. It was the international shipping fleet that delivered desperately needed essential goods to Australian families,” he said.
DCN has contacted the office of minister for infrastructure, transport and regional development Catherine King for comment.
