Toll freight service

Michael Ferguson,Minister for Infrastructure and Transport

We welcome the news today that Toll has reached an in-principle agreement with its employees at Webb Dock in Melbourne, ending the industrial action that has caused significant concern for Tasmanian businesses that rely on Toll’s shipping service to get their products to market.

Last financial year, exports represented nearly 16 per cent of Tasmania’s economy, which is why resolution of this dispute has been of critical importance to the Tasmanian Government, Tasmanian businesses and their employees.

That is why the Tasmanian majority Liberal Government has been working closely with Toll, industry groups and other shippers, including TT Line, to ensure we’ve been kept informed of developments, and that as much freight as possible has been moved whilst Toll has worked to end the dispute.

Predictably, Opposition Leader Rebecca White and the Labor Party have been silent on the issue, and provided no support for the Tasmanian industries and workers they claim to represent.

The good news is, now that disruptive union bans on overtime and shift extension have ceased, Toll will be able to resume its normal services and begin clearing the backlog of Tasmanian freight as quickly as possible.

This disruption was deliberately designed to hurt Tasmanian businesses, local jobs and the families these support. The unions are on notice – this must not happen again.

/Public Release. View in full here.