OPINION: Government needs to step up on seafarer welfare

ON THE 20th anniversary of the Maritime Labour Convention, Human Rights at Sea calls on the minister for transport Catherine King to act on the consistent provision of seafarer welfare services.

The February announcement that Flinders Port Holdings had committed $200,000 to Mission to Seafarers is a reminder that, around Australia, welfare funding for seafarers is being driven by the determination of a few individuals and the goodwill of port operators.

New South Wales Ports previously agreed to a $2.5m grant across four missions over five years, while a new seafarer centre in Port Hedland is being funded by Pilbara Ports, and money has been made available for new buses at Southern Ports.

The money goes to support the needs of more than 500,000 seafarers arriving each year on board the ships that underpin Australia’s economic security and supply chain resilience.

To get time ashore, some sacrifice rest time, and many may have just a few hours to contact friends and family, shop, seek medical advice, or simply relax and enjoy a change of environment.

Australian charities are supportive, but they also face funding challenges, and some have been unable to maintain their usual operating hours or advance new initiatives in, for example, counselling and mental health.

The Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006) calls for the establishment of port welfare committees to coordinate welfare provision at the local level.

Without active committees, ports lack the governance structures required to assess needs, allocate resources, and ensure accountability.

Many port welfare committees have been set up, however, no new port welfare committees have been established, nor existing ones revitalised, since 2022.

Australia’s reliance on sporadic corporate generosity and individual advocacy is not a substitute for a national framework. A modern maritime nation requires a coordinated, equitable, and transparent system for funding and delivering seafarer welfare services. This includes:
•    a national funding model that ensures baseline support for all ports
•    active, accountable port welfare committees in every port where welfare centres exist
•    consistent standards aligned with MLC obligations
•    mechanisms to ensure equitable distribution of resources.

It is time for the minister to demonstrate leadership at a national level and build a sustainable, equitable welfare system that reflects Australia’s responsibilities as a maritime nation and supports those people and organisations that are devoted to filling the current void.

David Hammond,
Executive and founder of Human Rights at Sea International

Paul MacGillivary,
Global Ambassador, Human Rights at Sea,
Chair, Bunbury Port Community Consultation Committee

This is an edited version of an earlier article that was published on the Human Rights at Sea website.