Jim Wilson

“A bargain is something you don’t need at a price you can’t resist,” is a quote normally attributed to US humourist Franklin P. Jones. It’s apposite under the Secure Job, Better Pay bargaining regime as employers might find themselves stuck with an enterprise bargaining agreement that they don’t want. And, given that unions can compel...

Pulling out the crystal ball, we can speculate on how the Australian industrial relations landscape, the supply chain, and the local economy, might change because of the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Act. What we may see.. Single Enterprise Agreements are an endangered species Wage costs rising Inflationary pressures increasing A new normal set of employment...

So, what’s different with the Secure Jobs Act, you might reasonably ask, when the Australian supply chain already has experience with extensive sector-wide industrial disputes and action? How will it really make a difference? Well, expert opinion is of the view that it’s going to completely change the industrial relations landscape. It will set a...

Is the Australian supply chain about to see large numbers of boxes build up in container yards once again? Will we see omitted port calls? Will we again see lots of blank sailings? Are we about to enter a period of extreme disruption in the supply chain? These are real prospects because of the Secure...

Automated truck access to empty container parks delivers “impressive” productivity benefits, the Hon. Melissa Horne, Victoria’s Ports & Freight Minister, told guests at the recent Shipping Australia Victoria State Committee Luncheon. Minister Horne was referring to the results of a study into the empty container supply chain and paperless truck access. The study revealed that...

Coastal pilotage has come under the microscope as the Australian Maritime Safety Authority has announced there will be a holistic and comprehensive review of Australian coastal pilotage. AMSA adds that the review is taking place to support the review of Marine Order 54 (coastal pilotage) 2014. The review will cover the pilot: training processes; technology...

Olga Coelho Heubert, chief commercial officer at the Victoria International Container Terminal, set out the stevedore’s views on infrastructure investment at our recent SAL Victoria State Committee Luncheon. Declaring that the stevedore and its parent company remain committed to investing in infrastructure and equipment that would optimise service, Ms Coelho Heubert added that the current...

Declaring that the Victorian  government is “morally obliged to act”, Ports & Freight Minister Melissa Horne recently told guests to the Shipping Australia Victoria State Committee Luncheon that: “for too long, transport has prided itself on a form of exceptionalism where we thought we were too important to change”. It is time to “work together...

Logistics software provider OneStop has announced a partnership with port community systems provider PortConnect of New Zealand. In a joint statement, the company indicated it they are collaborating as they have similar missions to modernise supply chain operations by maximising the benefits of using data while also eradicating manual bottlenecks. “Despite the wealth of available...

By Stuart Hetherington, Partner, Colin Biggers & Paisley Re-published with permission. In brief: If ever a case could be held up as showing the disuniformity and the international chaos in the regulation of international shipping in the carriage of goods by sea, the case of Poralu Marine Australia Pty Ltd v MV Dijksgracht [2022] FCA...