has sovereign rights, except for employment of its nationals.


If you stood with your toes on the yellow line, as I said a moment ago and walked inland and wanted to drive a bus or operate a forklift, you would need to be an Australian citizen or hold a visa and then also have the appropriate bus drivers or fork lift operator’s licence. But head out to see and its Rafferty’s Rules; in fact Rafferty – whoever he was – would concede and call ‘no contest!’


It seems that the orange bits, maybe the pink and green and blue bits as well are divided up into “Migration Zones” and “Non- Migration Zones.” It seems that the vast majority of the areas under discussion in this article are Non- Migration Zones.


So what sort of visas are required for foreign seafarers who enter Australia and are employed on vessels in these ochre, green, pink, blue and yellow bits? That dear members will get you the grand prize if you can come up with an explanation.


yep, thats right, foreign seafarers working in a non migration zone only need a tourist visa and they only need that if they intend to crew change through an Australian port.


The lunatics are in charge of the asylum!


AIMPE is advised by Canberra that this is a very complex issue and the nature of the visa required, if any, and the jurisdiction of the Department of Immigration to require a visa, if


ships are movable objects.


So if foreign seafarers working on vessels on our coast can do so free of any visa restraints, and as we know they don’t need security clearance (MSIC type) why are Australian Governments of all political colours, penalising their constituents?


It is nonsensical that a foreign vessel could be working on a project on our continental shelf with all the crew holding no visa at all and no security clearance. Yet an Australian manned vessel requires the substantive enquiry into your life by ASIO and the Federal Police before you can go to work in the same location! Not to mention your AMSA qual’s your medical, your HUET and so on.


All this is driven by a pathological fear by Australian governments of all persuasions that the country will be overrun by boat people.


Courtesy of www.nicholsoncartoons.com.au


We are all pretty familiar with subclass 457 visas. We assume anyone working in our country – including our sovereign EEZ – will require a 457. Did you say yes, agreed? Sorry you’ve probably just blown the grand prize!


Well how about a foreign seafarer on a vessel in our EEZ on an international voyage, doesn’t he or she require a maritime crew visa, a subclass 988? Did you say yes? Sorry, wrong again!


What they do need is a tourist visa;


any, depends on a) has the vessel been imported? and b) is the vessel working in a Migration Zone?


To say there is a lack of clarity on this matter is probably the understatement of the year. If you thought, as your correspondent does, that matters pertaining to AMSA’s jurisdiction on foreign flagged vessels in the oil patch was complicated, that dear members is a walk in the park!


While no one has been able to define what and where are the lines defining migration/non-migration zones one hopes that the bureaucrats keep in the back of their mind that as a general rule


The best advice your writer can offer is this. Get down to your local video hire shop, borrow a copy


of “One Flew Over the Cuckkoo’s Nest”, grab a six pack and watch the movie; then you might get an understanding of the way things happen in Canberra.


(Catch 22 will probably work as well)


One last point; your correspondent is often disappointed that as the publisher of your On Watch we cannot send you a full colour print version. For this debate it is irrelevant. You will note in the graphic on the previous page that all the coloured zones discussed in this article have been greyed out because that’s what it is – and extremely grey area!


Phil Olsen - WA secretary. On Watch March 2012 page 25


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44