Marine-Related Incidents (MARPOL) Bill 2019 No. 37

[11.20 a.m.]

Ms ARMITAGE (Launceston) - Mr President, the member for Windermere is right. I was going to mention that we all share it. I really think it belongs to the member for Rosevears because it probably fits within her electorate more than in ours.

I support this bill and any bill that looks at replacing the Pollution of Waters by Oil and Noxious Substances Act 1987, which is quite outdated. This bill is something we need - as the member for Windermere said, we only have to look at the shores of the Tamar or any beach to see the substances that are washed up.

I should declare a bit of an interest here. I am the patron of the Rhona H, which I think is classed as a ship. I know a question was asked yesterday about what is a ship and what is a boat. I am pretty sure the Rhona H is registered as a ship. It used to belong to my husband. I am now its patron. She sits at the docks down here.

I remember holding tanks being an issue at one stage. I am sure the Leader is quite aware that when you go out on a boat, toilet facilities - holding tanks - are necessary. Where people empty their holding tanks is certainly now regulated, too. It is a certain distance out to sea. I asked a question - either earlier this year or late last year - about where cruise ships dump their holding tanks or where they dump their rubbish. Many large cruise ships come into port here. From memory, I was told cruise ships dump their rubbish a certain distance out to sea. We hope they all conform to regulations.

I am pleased to see penalties in the bill for anyone who does the wrong thing. It is a large and comprehensive bill, but this is such a large issue.

I was interested to see the recent beaching of whales. Obviously, we do not know why they beached. We do not know what the reasons are. There could be a myriad different reasons. Perhaps it has something to do with the pollution of the oceans and seas that caused them to do such a strange thing. At last count, 470 whales beached on the shores, between the ones that have gone back out and the ones that had died.

There are problems in our oceans and our seas. We need to do everything we can to ensure they are as clean as they can be, not just for us but also for the marine animals that live in them. It is very important we look not just after ourselves but also after the marine creatures of our world.

I support the bill.