Home Affairs Says All Foreign-Flagged Cruise Ships Must Employ Aussie Staff

[onlyslightlymad]

1 hour ago, lissie said:

Plus NZ did approve the arrival of the Russian flagged ship Spirit of Enterby which is used by Heritage Expeditions. We sailed on her in January and can confirm that there were both NZ crew (expedition directory - cruise director and mission specialists) - but also about 60 Russian crew including  cabin cleaners, cooks etc 

Yes, I do hear what you're saying Lissie.  Not sure how they got that one through.  Maybe they applied for them as technical crew on the visas.

[NSWP]

On 5/19/2021 at 1:09 PM, onlyslightlymad said:

Yes, I do hear what you're saying Lissie.  Not sure how they got that one through.  Maybe they applied for them as technical crew on the visas.

Not fair one ship was accepted and others rejected. friends of Friends? How many Nz govt heavies travelled on Spirit of enderby at the right price lol.

[Aus Traveller]

3 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Not fair one ship was accepted and others rejected. friends of Friends? How many Nz govt heavies travelled on Spirit of enderby at the right price lol.

Maybe the NZ authorities didn't like the French??? I wonder why???

[onlyslightlymad]

45 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Not fair one ship was accepted and others rejected. friends of Friends? How many Nz govt heavies travelled on Spirit of enderby at the right price lol.

I think that is a massive assumption to make without doing any research.  It may be something to do with the size of the crew and the application process.  I know Lissie said it is much smaller ship.  Perhaps the crew take multiple roles on board, although, again that is just a guess.

[ilikeanswers]

1 hour ago, NSWP said:

Not fair one ship was accepted and others rejected. friends of Friends? How many Nz govt heavies travelled on Spirit of enderby at the right price lol.

 

My understanding was Ponant applied to deliver a ship but as they were already sailing they tried to apply for working visas for the staff in the service section of a cruise ship which would conflict with their application to simply deliver a ship. To me it sounds as if Ponant either made a genuine mistake with their paperwork or were trying to do something underhanded🤔. 

[Aus Traveller]

1 hour ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

My understanding was Ponant applied to deliver a ship but as they were already sailing they tried to apply for working visas for the staff in the service section of a cruise ship which would conflict with their application to simply deliver a ship. To me it sounds as if Ponant either made a genuine mistake with their paperwork or were trying to do something underhanded🤔. 

That's a fair enough assessment.

[lissie]

1 hour ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

My understanding was Ponant applied to deliver a ship but as they were already sailing they tried to apply for working visas for the staff in the service section of a cruise ship which would conflict with their application to simply deliver a ship. To me it sounds as if Ponant either made a genuine mistake with their paperwork or were trying to do something underhanded🤔. 

A actually saw the woman CEO of Ponant on NZ TV a couple of times - she came across as arrogant - quite offended that little olde NZ wasn't delieriously happy they were sending their ship over. 

 

Hertiage is an NZ owned and based company 

[gogo65]

A bit more of an update in regards to Australian crew, seems like things aren’t really progressing..

https://cruisepassenger.com.au/return-of-cruise-big-ship-lines-baulk-at-hiring-aussies-for-hospitality-roles/

[Chiliburn]

5 minutes ago, gogo65 said:

A bit more of an update in regards to Australian crew, seems like things aren’t really progressing..

https://cruisepassenger.com.au/return-of-cruise-big-ship-lines-baulk-at-hiring-aussies-for-hospitality-roles/

The hospitality industry is screaming for staff.

How can a ship find lazy Ozzie’s to do the job.

[MMDown Under]

38 minutes ago, gogo65 said:

A bit more of an update in regards to Australian crew, seems like things aren’t really progressing..

https://cruisepassenger.com.au/return-of-cruise-big-ship-lines-baulk-at-hiring-aussies-for-hospitality-roles/

I think it would be wonderful if the Govt. is successful in getting aussies on board ships in hospitality roles.  

Aussies don't sweat the small stuff.  I remember once boarding a Qantas flight in NYC where the automatic luggage movers weren't moving.  It was chaos with luggage piled up surrounding the booking clerks.  Needless to say, we eventually got away late.

It wasn't long before a familiar Aussie voice had everyone relaxed and laughing.  He gave us a running commentary of the view from NY to LAX in the dark.   

[Aus Traveller]

I would not like to be on a cruise ship that had a large number of newly-recruited crew. All the crew have important roles to play in the emergency procedures. This training takes time and in on-going once or twice a month. When new crew join a ship, most of them would have had a previous contract and know what to do so the small number of first-time crew would not be an issue.

[Aus Traveller]

2 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

I think it would be wonderful if the Govt. is successful in getting aussies on board ships in hospitality roles.  

Aussies don't sweat the small stuff.  I remember once boarding a Qantas flight in NYC where the automatic luggage movers weren't moving.  It was chaos with luggage piled up surrounding the booking clerks.  Needless to say, we eventually got away late.

It wasn't long before a familiar Aussie voice had everyone relaxed and laughing.  He gave us a running commentary of the view from NY to LAX in the dark.   

I have not found that the 'international' crew on cruise ships are a problem. They keep smiling and handle problems that arise.

 

I doubt that there would be enough Aussies willing to work away from home for around eight months at a time. The wages aren't too bad if it is tax-free, but they would have to be increased to attract Aussies who would have to pay income tax on Australian based ships. Then there is the issue of superannuation. All of these issues would mean cruise fares would increase.

[MMDown Under]

42 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I have not found the 'international' crew on cruise ships are a problem. They keep smiling and handle problems that arise.

 

I doubt that there would be enough Aussies willing to work away from home for around eight months at a time. The wages aren't too bad if it is tax-free, but they would have to be increased to attract Aussies who would have to pay income tax on Australian based ships. Then there is the issue of superannuation. All of these issues would mean cruise fares would increase.

I have spoken with international crew who love working on ships in Australia with Aussie/Kiwi passengers.  

I'm sure, if there was good will on all sides, having Aussies in hospitality roles on ships in Aust/Kiwi waters would work.  

I was lucky to cruise on the inaugural charter cruise from Hawaii to Aust with Royal Caribbean with all Aussie passengers.  It was lots of fun and a unique experience.  

[Aus Traveller]

8 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

I have spoken with international crew who love working on ships in Australia with Aussie/Kiwi passengers.  

I'm sure, if there was good will on all sides, having Aussies in hospitality roles on ships in Aust/Kiwi waters would work.  

I was lucky to cruise on the inaugural charter cruise from Hawaii to Aust with Royal Caribbean with all Aussie passengers.  It was lots of fun and a unique experience.  

I agree that the international crew love working on the ships with Aussie/Kiwi passengers, but my questions relate to Aussies working on the ships.

 

The difficulties I see are how many would want to commit to an 8 month contract away from home when there are plenty of local jobs available; would they be prepared to work for the amount the cruiselines currently pay and if not the fares would have to rise; having a majority of new crew would present safety issues in an emergency.

[MMDown Under]

13 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

I agree that the international crew love working on the ships with Aussie/Kiwi passengers, but my questions relate to Aussies working on the ships.

 

The difficulties I see are how many would want to commit to an 8 month contract away from home when there are plenty of local jobs available; would they be prepared to work for the amount the cruiselines currently pay and if not the fares would have to rise; having a majority of new crew would present safety issues in an emergency.

I don't know the answers, but think all things are possible with good will on both sides. Eg does contract need to be for 8 months?  An Aussie working in the beauty area of the ship told me she did it for the travel experience, not for the money.  She was able to visit all the ports of call, like a regular passenger.

[GUT2407]

51 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

I don't know the answers, but think all things are possible with good will on both sides. Eg does contract need to be for 8 months?  An Aussie working in the beauty area of the ship told me she did it for the travel experience, not for the money.  She was able to visit all the ports of call, like a regular passenger.

But was she in the same money and conditions as a Steward,.

[MMDown Under]

2 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

But was she in the same money and conditions as a Steward,.

Little money.  Less than she earned in Aust.  For travel experience, not money. 

[MMDown Under]

Just now, MMDown Under said:

Little money.  Less than she earned in Aust.  For travel experience, not money. 

Not same conditions as she could disembark every port.

[Aus Traveller]

2 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Little money.  Less than she earned in Aust.  For travel experience, not money. 

There would be very little travel experience on a cruise ship limited to Australian itineraries or even going as far as NZ.

[possum52]

This talk of using Aussies to crew cruise ships is bonkers. As a few have said there is a great shortage of hospitality staff already in Australia. One of the Dandenongs' best know venues Miss Marple's Tearooms at Sassafras is struggling to find enough staff to open everyday - this article is from the Heraldsun -

'Tourist magnet Miss Marple’s Tea Room, known for its Devonshire tea, including fluffy scones and fingers sandwiches, may be forced to close one day a week unless it can recruit more workers.

Owner Jen Linaker took to Facebook on Thursday, May 20 to plea for more staff to come on board.

“We have good news and bad news; the good news is we are busier than ever, the bad news is we don’t have enough staff and we might have to close one day a week,” Ms Linaker said.

 

The business has full-time positions available for a coffee maker, waitress and kitchen staff, who must be available weekends and holidays.

The hourly rate for each of the roles for employees aged over 20 is about $25 weekdays, $30 on weekends, and $51 on public holidays.

 

Ms Linaker said the struggle to attract staff may be due to people becoming used to receiving JobSeeker payments during COVID, and fears of another lockdown.

“Mentally some people may think ‘We’re not out of the woods yet (in terms of COVID), so if you’re getting paid for doing nothing you’re not going to give that up and enter a workforce where there may be lockdowns, I understand that,” she said.

“But there are jobs out there.''

 

I'm sure cruise companies will not be paying that sort of money. So if a well know venue is struggling to find staff, I doubt cruise companies would do so paying I would assume less. If paying the same rates as above, be prepared for fare costs to sky rocket.

 

Leigh

[Aus Traveller]

I agree with Leigh's comments. There is absolutely no way that cruise ships would be able to recruit many staff to work in the hotel department.

 

The cruise ship pay rates for stewards from Indonesia, India, Mexico etc. are very good compared with their pay at home - if they can find a job. Many of the steward we have spoken to have University degrees, but they cannot find work in their home countries. By working a few contracts on a cruise ship, they can save enough money to get set up when they return home to settle down and have a family.

[Aussieflyer]

I may be cynical but IMHO the requirement for Australian staffing is a backdoor way for the Aust Govt to keep the cruise ship ban - can say it is the cruise lines who have decided not to come. I can't see the difference between a fully vaccinated, quarantined, tested foreign national staffer and one from AU. And was others have said, we really don't have the people available to fill these positions. 

[Aus Traveller]

24 minutes ago, Aussieflyer said:

I may be cynical but IMHO the requirement for Australian staffing is a backdoor way for the Aust Govt to keep the cruise ship ban - can say it is the cruise lines who have decided not to come. I can't see the difference between a fully vaccinated, quarantined, tested foreign national staffer and one from AU. And was others have said, we really don't have the people available to fill these positions. 

Agreed.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Aussieflyer said:

I may be cynical but IMHO the requirement for Australian staffing is a backdoor way for the Aust Govt to keep the cruise ship ban - can say it is the cruise lines who have decided not to come. I can't see the difference between a fully vaccinated, quarantined, tested foreign national staffer and one from AU. And was others have said, we really don't have the people available to fill these positions. 

I think you're right. The government is inventing stumbling blocks to avoid having cruise ships back here.

[MelbTone]

6 hours ago, possum52 said:

I'm sure cruise companies will not be paying that sort of money.

But presumably you would allow a deduction for accommodation, food etc. What does an au-pair or live-in nanny get paid all found?