In the past months, Human Rights at Sea, along with in-country partners, has been discreetly pursuing its Maritime Levy Campaign in Australia.
This is focused on following-up on recent State-level success in New Zealand updating national legislation for all seafarer welfare centers to be sustainably funded through a dedicated maritime levy contribution.
Work to date has included outreach to Ministers and MPs at State and Federal level requesting a specific focus on this issue. It has further included having the topic placed on influential stakeholders’ agendas for Board discussion and subsequent action.
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HRAS has provided recipients with papers highlighting the precedent, process, and outcome of the change in the New Zealand 1994 Maritime Transport Act as of 1 July 2021 as both a legal precedent, and an effective call-to-arms on the matter.
The COVID Pandemic has brought both the human and labour rights challenges faced by seafarers and fishers to the forefront of international public awareness, albeit not by policy design but by unintended consequence.
In 2020, human rights concerns emerged as a key agenda item for the UN Secretary General and UN Agencies where its cause-and-effect became referred to as a “humanitarian crisis” at sea.
In the background, HRAS has been building a coalition-of-the-willing for an ongoing collective global effort to accelerate social justice in-sector.
This is being undertaken and achieved through policy and legislative changes to assure that seafarer and fisher welfare services in coastal states become sustainably run, without the need for almost total reliance on donations and philanthropic grants.
A $17 trillion US dollar industry with a work force the size of the combined populations of Adelaide and Newcastle is keeping global supply chains running, your choice of mobile phone and food on shelves, oil and gas in the refineries, and pandemic PPE in-stock. So why do organisations supporting seafarers and fishers have to often rely on donations to survive while providing such essential welfare support services?.
…HRAS CEO, David Hammond, commented.
As HRAS further explained, the evidence of mounting suicides at sea due to mental health issues, exacerbated by the COVID crew change crisis, would suggest that attention should now be focused on wellness at sea.
This is not only out of concern for the welfare of seafarers, but also to consider their safety performance in the environment in which they work; to ensure they are able to take care of the ship and its cargo.
It is well-known that the quality of life at sea for the seafarer affects the safety of their lives and others, safety of the ship and its cargo, and safety of the environment. To actively address the welfare of the seafarer, is not just in the interest of the seafarer, but also in the best interest of all stakeholders in the maritime industry to act and do so decisively.
…HRAS concluded.
Overall, the union urged that it is now time for those who profit from the global shipping industry to fairly give secured financial support to those organisations who have traditionally been directly involved in the essential role of helping assure the well-being of those at sea.
