REPRESENTATIVES from across Australia’s maritime industry recently gathered at Parliament House in Canberra for an event designed to facilitate exchange with senators and MP’s about the challenges and opportunities inherent to the sector.

Maritime Industry Australia Limited (MIAL) reported that the event was attended by more than 70 dignitaries, including embassy officials, senators, MPs, and MIAL members.

The peak body said the discussions offered a wealth of insights and optimism, as well as practical solutions to major and newly emerging challenges facing the industry.

The event was attended by the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King, who reportedly acknowledged that the Federal Government is fully aware that the maritime industry is a primary driver of the Australian economy and workforce.

MIAL chair David Borcoski emphasised that Australia’s sovereign commercial shipping industry has played a critical role in supporting the country’s economy and national security.

“It is a role that has until recently gone relatively unnoticed and is out of sight and out of mind to most people,” Mr Borcoski said.

“As a result, Australia’s role in international and domestic shipping has experienced a sharp decline over decades.”

On a positive note, Mr Borcoski asserted that it is an extraordinary time in the history of Australian shipping.

“Through the Maritime Strategic Fleet Policy we will be joining our allies in recognising that a national commercial fleet is essential to national resilience and that actively investing in maintaining a base level of sovereign maritime capability is essential to support our strategic interests,” said Mr Borcoski.

“We welcome the government’s decision to proactively invest in our national resilience by moving forward with implementation of the strategic fleet policy through the 3-vessel pilot. However, the job is not yet done.

“The importance of addressing the competitive position of Australian shipping generally through adjustments to existing tax arrangements is captured in Recommendation 1 of the Strategic Fleet Taskforce Report.”

The Strategic Fleet Taskforce Report refers to a Government commitment announced in 2023 that it will establish a strategic fleet of up to 12 Australian-flagged and crewed vessels.

Recommendation 1 of the report relates to options to address the cost gap and establish the fleet, including changes to taxation arrangements

Mr Borcoski detailed that to ensure the long-term success of the strategic fleet policy and to enable natural growth in Australian-flagged shipping, the MIAL urges the government to quickly move onto implementation of Recommendation 1 to enable the industry to compete on a level playing field.

MIAL CEO Angela Gillham commented that bipartisan support and genuine action are required for the industry to succeed, highlighting Australia is a large island “at the end of the global supply chain”.

“Securing sovereign commercial maritime capability to service the needs of an island nation – the skills, the knowhow, and the assets – is an urgent national resilience issue,” she said.