Senator BOB COLLINS(7.17 p.m.) —I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

I am pleased indeed to see this matter before the Senate. Australia of course is already a party to the SOLAS convention, that is, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. The 1988 protocol to which this document relates is, among other things, designed to harmonise the requirements of the Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and the related load line conventions, both of which are designed to protect shipping and of course, importantly, the people that sail on those ships.

The reason I have risen to comment briefly on this paper is that I want to commend the continuing work of the officers of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority in advancing the role that Australia is playing, and has played, in bringing again and again to the attention of the international maritime organisation the growing concern in Australia and around the world at the entirely unsatisfactory nature, still, of international shipping. The reason that I do want to comment briefly on this is that, sadly, as recent statistical evidence has shown, this problem appears to be getting worse, not better.

It has been known for some time now that there is a major problem in world shipping with large bulk carriers in terms of their unseaworthiness. Disturbingly, large numbers of these ships sink without trace at sea, often with the loss of life of all on board. The conditions on board some of these ships are disgraceful in terms of the living conditions of the crew, the payments to crew, the officers on board ships and the intimidation by the companies that operate the ships.

Sadly, this is a matter in which we are all indirectly involved. As an island continent we rely utterly on our shipping services. Only three or four per cent of the cargoes carried in and out of Australia are carried in Australian shipping. Well over 90 per cent are carried by international shipping, and AMSA has the responsibility, on behalf of the government, to examine this shipping.

In recent evidence before a Senate committee, I was disturbed to hear—as a former shipping minister I have a close interest in this—evidence from AMSA that the number of ship detentions and defects that have been noted on board ships that are trading with Australia and bringing the freight that we use to Australia is growing. These detentions in fact have significantly increased in recent times. It is conventions such as the one that we are discussing now that provide for the condition of equipment and so on on board these ships that are absolutely vital to the safety of the crew on board.

Debate interrupted.