CARAVAN Industry Association of Australia has applauded the Federal Government for its announcement this morningof a $6million extension to the Bass Strait Passenger Vehicle Equalisation Scheme (BSPVES), making it free for passengers to bring their car on the Spirit of Tasmania from March to June 2021.

Those travelling with a caravan or motorhome will also receive the average $240 return saving for their vehicle. The 2020 year has not been kind to business operators in Tasmania, and the summer season continues to be a disappointment for many.  Recent occupancy numbers have shown that caravanning and camping is underperforming all other states in the country at a time when caravan parks should be overflowing, with forward bookings also soft.

“Across Australia we continue to witness a V-shaped recovery in the caravan and camping sector, however Bass Strait has continued to put Tasmanian operators at a disadvantage in what is a very competitive domestic tourism market,” said Stuart Lamont, CEO of Caravan Industry Association of Australia.

Mr Lamont said, "This announcement could not have come soon enough, and while the Tasmanian Tourism Voucher Schemewas great to encourage locals to travel, there is only so much we can rely on the local market to keep Tassie caravan parks open.” 

Making access cheaper for passengers coming from the mainland will be an incredible incentive and will go a long way to kick-starting the recovery of the sector in Tasmania while supporting many regional communities right across the state, he said.

www.caravanindustry.com.au

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“We know that those arriving via the Spirit of Tasmania stay longer, spend more and disperse further than other visitors to the state, so it is vitally important to stimulate this portion of the travelling public, and to recoup some of the cancellations incurred due to border restrictions throughout 2020.” Mr Lamont continued. 

NEW SOUTH WALES Treasurer Dominic Perrottet's move to outsource Treasury work to KPMG is a waste of money and resources, according to the Public Service Association (PSA).

A report in The Sydney Morning Herald this morning revealed the Treasurer would pay consultancy firm KPMG $5.5 million to reform the state's stamp duty scheme.

“Once again the NSW Government is only happy to waste millions of taxpayer dollars on consultants when the expertise already exists in NSW Treasury many times over," PSA general secretary Stewart Little said.

Taxpayers could be paying as much as $4000 a day for this work, under the government's own procurement policy. The lowest rate for an analyst is $1200 a day.

"When the NSW Government froze the wages of public sector workers in 2020 they were told that everyone was tightening their belts. Treasurer Perrottet promised the government would go on a hiring spree - it seems he was only thinking of consultants.

"NSW has the best and brightest policymakers in the country. From those working around the clock in NSW Health, to the Service NSW and Treasury officials who've made sure people across the state get the support they need," Mr Little said.

"The level of expertise isn't easily matched, and they're ready to do the work but instead vital functions of the government are being outsourced to consultants at exorbitant rates. The Treasurer needs to do the maths again, because this doesn't add up."

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THE International Maritime Organisation (IMO) passed several resolutions in December 2020, specifically addressing the need for seafarers, and other marine personnel, to be designated as key workers.

Australia is a notable omission from the cohort of 45 IMO member states who have already determined seafarers to be key workers.

International Transport Workers Federation president and Maritime Union of Australia national secretary Paddy Crumlin said, “Australia must act immediately to align itself with international efforts, led by organisations like the IMO and ITF, to designate seafarers as key workers providing an essential service, and facilitate the safe and unhindered movement of seafarers for embarking and disembarking a vessel, accessing shore leave, and when necessary, access to shore-based medical treatment.

“While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the health of people and communities across the world, the outlook for seafarers becomes increasingly more desperate by the day.

“The despair of this crisis cannot be understated. Over 400,000 seafarers internationally are held captive on their ships, and an equal number are prevented from travelling to relieve these desperate workers due to the global and national inconsistencies in travel restrictions. 

“Australian seafarers are effectively locked out of jurisdictions where they are engaged in transport operations domestically, and the interconnection of global and national trade.

“It is vital that attention be paid to Australia’s reliance on essential workers in the maritime transport chain to maintain the continuous supply of essential goods that Australian communities rely on and that the Morrison Government act immediately to address the failed policy settings which continue to exacerbate this crisis for Australian and international seafarers.”

The IMO circular regarding the designation of seafarers as key workers is available here.

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FEDERAL Parliament is releasing the report of its inquiry into the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for Australia’s foreign affairs, defence and trade policy.

The Committee found that the lessons from COVID-19 were not primarily about health.

The Chair of the Committee, Senator David Fawcett said, "The behaviour of nation states in response to COVID-19 has called into question some assumptions about the willingness of nations to support the global rules-based order. These assumptions have underpinned many aspects of Australia’s foreign affairs, defence and trade in recent decades."

Senator Fawcett stressed that “any decrease in support for the norms of the rule-based order negatively affects collaboration and conflict resolution between nation states, as well as the efficacy of commercial relationships between companies".

The Committee concluded that the pandemic revealed vulnerabilities in Australia’s security and critical national systems “caused by supply chains that rely on just-in-time supply from the global market, particularly where companies are subject to extrajudicial and coercive direction from foreign governments".

Senator Fawcett said because of the increased risks identified in the Strategic Update 2020, Australia must have a timely and strategic, whole-of-government response and that “returning to ‘business as usual’ is not an option”.

Senator Fawcett said," Unexpected, sustained disruption due to another pandemic or grey-zone, coercive or military actions by state actors could degrade if not disable one or more of Australia’s critical national systems.”

The Committee recommended the Australian Government change procurement rules to partner with Australian industry sectors which provide priority enablers to critical national systems. This partnership should be through the use of procurement to build and sustain sovereign capability, not just by offering one-off grants.

The Committee concluded Australia also required more investment and diplomatic effort to increase Australia’s resilience through trusted and transparent partnerships with like-minded nations.

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