TBRDECEMBER19

4 Tasmanian Business Reporter - DECEMBER 2019
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
www.tcci.com.au
Support for anti-protest laws
Right to conduct business
INTERNATIONAL and Australian
news bulletins have recently
been full of news about
various protest actions.
The footage from the ongoing
Hong Kong protests about
that territory and the former
British colony’s autonomy in
relation to mainland China
have ramifications for Australia
and Tasmania.
In Melbourne recently, there
was violent interaction between
protestors and police around the
three-day International Mining
and Resources Conference.
Perhaps most notoriously, in
April this year about 20 people
chained themselves to equipment
at the Yangan abattoir,
south-west of Brisbane, while
others infiltrated abattoirs in
Goulburn, New South Wales
and in Laverton in Melbourne
to protest alleged animal cruelty
Michael
Bailey
TCCI Chief Executive
and overall animal welfare.
We have also seen the Extinction
Rebellion protests
worldwide about climate
change.
That has created an interesting
debate in the major Australian
cities where roads have
been blocked at peak times for
hours – do the protestors make
their point and gain support or
do they alienate ordinary Australians
making their way to and
from work each day?
In November this year,
the Tasmanian Government
introduced the Workplaces (Protection
from Protesters) Amendment
Bill 2014 to protect Tasmanian
businesses going about
their normal, daily operations.
For years, prior to the election
of the Liberal Government,
TCCI has called for legislation
to protect Tasmanian businesses
against unlawful protest action.
Let me state, the TCCI supports
absolutely the right of people
to protest lawfully, but not to
conduct economic terrorism.
But vegan protesters invading
abattoirs, forest
protesters chained inside machinery
– dangerous for both
the protestors and those
workers trying to extricate
them - environmental protestors
chaining themselves
to wooden furniture in Tasmanian
furniture stores and
even protestors releasing
farm livestock onto the road
is just not on.
The Federal Government
has introduced new
legislation with bipartisan
support and the NSW and
Queensland Governments are
... protestors releasing
farm livestock onto the
road is just not on.
also moving to tighten laws.
These laws are needed following
an upsurge in business
disruption caused by
organised actions across the
country, much of it unfairly
directed at farmers.
The Workplaces (Protection
from Protesters)
Amendment Bill 2014 gives
effect to a fundamental principle:
that Tasmanian laws
should protect people who
are undertaking lawful business
activities.
This means that people
should be able to earn a
living without trespassers
interfering with their work,
threats being made in an
effort to shut down their
business, or roads being obstructed
in order to stop their
business operations.
The Bill also addresses
matters raised by the High
Court in the Brown case. It
has been drafted to apply to
all people and only to actions
which affect or have
the potential to affect the
lawful rights of others.
The TCCI supports the
State Government, which is
strongly committed to the
right of people to protest, but
not at the expense of the right
of workers to earn a living or
the right of business to operate
safely and free from interference
and disruption.
Freight scheme review seeks fairness
I RECENTLY attended a private
dinner where the shipping
priorities for Tasmania
were questioned.
The table was occupied
by senior representatives of
the mining, forestry, and renewable
energy sectors and I
guess, by proxy through me,
the general cargo sector (think
containers).
It was a tough question
really as there were many
competing interests at the
table (as I am sure there are
everywhere).
It all comes down to the
available space and infrastructure
that is required for
current operations and perceived
growth and how this
competes with other industries
and trends.
The increasing size of vessels
against the static footprint
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of the current berthing facilities,
the loading equipment
and efficiencies cargo receivals
on the wharf, the rail
infrastructure and the interface
with the port operation,
the discharge and loading capability
of non crane operated
vessels – throw in some cruise
ships and congestion and you
could be forgiven for thinking
that the best option to consider
what is most important is to
use the “rock, paper, scissors”
method – winner gets first
dibs.
A very tough gig and one
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the TasPorts, the State Government
and industry are
watching closely.
In a world where costs are
only going up, the Tasmanian
Logistics Committee is forever
looking at mechanisms
to reduce the cost burden on
traders by any other means
that we may discover.
Recently the TLC was instrumental
in a review of the
Tasmanian Freight Equalisation
Scheme - imported
goods that cannot be sourced
from mainland Australia,
fall within the TFES current
Warehousing
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Management
Banking
leader
to speak
AUSTRALIAN Banking
Association CEO Anna
Bligh will discuss all
things business and banking
at a free TCCI function
on December 5 at
Industry House, Hobart.
She will discuss the
new Banking Code of
Practice and how small
business contracts will
be simplified, loan conditions
will be fairer and
small business customers
will be given a longer
notice period should loan
conditions change.
Registration is from
8.45am.
Infrastructure will always be a major cost.
parameters and transship a
mainland port of Australia.
Tasmania does not have any
international calling container
ships (even MSC is basically
a feeder service via Sydney).
The addition to the TFES
scheme will be a welcome
relief for importers that meet
the criteria as for years they
have been left off the radar
completely.
The ability to have some
cost relief from the expensive
feeder rates over Bass Strait
will allow for Tasmanian
based businesses to invest
more into their businesses
by way of capital equipment,
research or market expansion
for finished goods – we have
already seen how this has
benefitted the exporters with
the TFES scheme extended to
this trade in 2016.
Other projects under way
by the TLC are a deep dive
into infrastructure surcharges
and port and terminal charges
passed on to Tasmanian exporters
and importers along
with ensuring that there is a
good understanding of the
challenges and opportunities
for Tasmanian shippers.
Contact me to discuss this
commentary at any time –
bcharlton@agility.com