Mr HOLLIS(10.30 p.m.) —In this short adjournment speech I wish to pay tribute to the work of Missions to Seamen nationally and internationally. But particularly I wish to pay a special tribute to the work of the Missions to Seamen at Port Kembla, to Lance Puckeridge, the chaplain, and his wife, Merle, who very much work as a partnership and are the mission at Port Kembla. As a member of the committee of the Missions to Seamen at Port Kembla I have seen at first-hand the work that Lance and Merle do in providing comfort, support, advice, counselling and spiritual help to seafarers from all over the world.

On Saturday, 23 August 1997 there was a rededication of the mission at Port Kembla. Port Kembla is no longer part of the Sydney mission but is now on its own. This is a challenge to us at Port Kembla, but a challenge we will meet as it is vitally important that we continue the presence of the mission at Port Kembla. But what happens at Port Kembla—the care, the assistance and the concern for seafarers—is repeated throughout the world. In ports in diverse and inhospitable places there is always warmth and fellowship at the missions. From the tropics to the icy north, the flying angel is a sign of fellowship, comfort and understanding.

Missions to Seamen was started by the Anglican Church in England in 1835. It is a voluntary society which provides support and counselling services to seafarers in over 300 ports around the world. In an average year, the mission makes over 57,000 ship visits, welcomes 800,000 seafarers to its centres, responds to some 400 requests for help in justice cases and visits over 1,000 seafarers in hospitals.

The Port Kembla Missions to Seamen was established in 1942. Lance Puckeridge has been the longest serving chaplain on the Australian east coast and just last year over 7,800 people passed through the Port Kembla mission. I personally believe that in coming years the work of the missions will become even more important as it appears the Australian coast run is about to be open to the rust buckets of the world. The world's shipping fleet is ageing. Shipping is a very competitive business. Pressures are exerted to cut costs. It seems that it is usually the wages and conditions of the crews that are the first to suffer. This is not the main cost of shipping, but they are always the first things to suffer. Many of these crews are from Third World countries. They have no-one to defend them or depend on but the missions or the International Transport Federation.

Chaplains at all missions can tell you horrific stories of mistreatment or malnutrition of crews. In Australia, we have seen the murder of Third World seafarers, such as the incident at Glory Cape off Port Hedland last year—and very little has been done about that even to this day—and many instances of seafarers disappearing off the coast of Australia if they dare to complain.

I have been told many times, as other people have been, that if seafarers come into one of Australia's ports and make contact with the International Transport Federation and complain they often, not always, disappear off the Australian coastline. This could be on a trip from Sydney up to Brisbane. There have been examples of beatings and mistreatment. People who think that people like myself and the honourable member for Shortland (Mr Peter Morris) exaggerate when we speak on such topics only need to talk to the chaplains, like Lance Puckeridge, from the many missions around Australia and they will find that they all tell the same stories of the mistreatment and malnutrition of many seafarers, especially those from Third World countries.

Yet through all this the missions serve as a beacon to seafarers of whatever race, creed or wherever they come from. In Port Kembla, as in missions throughout the world, they find a safe haven, comfort, fellowship and spiritual assistance. The seafarer's life means isolation and long absences from family, home and friends which create a host of special problems. The missions are always there at the dock to offer a welcome, to help with problems, to arrange contact at home and to provide care and fellowship. Long may the work of the missions' chaplains such as Lance Puckeridge continue. Long may it be a beacon throughout the world. Long may the flying angel be a sign of fellowship, comfort and understanding to seafarers throughout the world.