The Covid pandemic has taught Australians how important it is that our nation can stand on its own feet. As the pandemic unfolded, it became clear Australia was unable to meet its own needs for medicines, vaccines and basic medical equipment.

As the pressure grew, we were forced to wait at the end of precarious international supply chains, dependent on other nations, which, predictably, put their national interest first.

The Morrison-Joyce government promised we would be producing mRNA vaccines by now, but like so many promises, this has yet to be delivered.

Our understanding of the importance of effective supply chains has been amplified this month, with the shortage of rapid antigen tests causing chaos and supermarket shelves empty because the Morrison-Joyce government failed to plan effectively for a spike in Covid cases after the end of lockdowns. Indeed, the Transport Workers Union warned the government of the risks to our distribution networks months ago. The warning went unheeded.

In the years ahead, we must learn from our experience during the pandemic. We must restore our self-sufficiency for medical goods and other critical and essential products - including fuel.

It is almost inconceivable that in 2021 Australia does not control its own fuel supplies. The tankers that bring us oil are all registered overseas and crewed by overseas mariners. This leaves us vulnerable.

It means that in the event of global conflict or a major disruption to oil supplies, Australia would be at the mercy of oil suppliers with no sympathy for our national interest.

The Morrison-Joyce government tolerates this position, has seen half of our oil refineries closed on its watch and, most extraordinarily, has declared that our fuel reserves can be stored in North America.

A federal Labor government will restore Australia’s ability to secure our own fuel supplies. We will create a National Strategic Fleet to protect our national resilience, including for the importation and domestic distribution of crude oil, aviation fuel and diesel. Vessels in this fleet will be privately owned but leased by the government, which could requisition them for use in times of national need, including natural disasters.

As a first step, an incoming Labor government will appoint a taskforce to guide it on the establishment of the fleet, which is likely to include up to a dozen vessels, including oil tankers, container ships and gas carriers. Labor’s Strategic Fleet Taskforce will finalise the details in consultation with industry representatives, ship owners and operators, Maritime Industry Australia Ltd, maritime unions and the Department of Defence.

The disappearance of Australian-flagged oil tankers has been part of a broader decline in Australian shipping. Over the past 30 years, the number of Australian-flagged vessels serving global and coastal trade routes has fallen from 100 to about a dozen, with large multinationals removing the Australian flag from our coast in order to hire overseas crews at Third World rates of pay.

This has destroyed thousands of Australian jobs and has left our economy vulnerable. It has also seriously undermined Australia’s maritime capacity by depleting our skills base. It makes no sense.

Australia is an island nation. We rely on shipping to move 99 per cent of our imports and exports. It serves our economic, environmental and national security interests to maintain a vibrant local fleet to meet our own needs.

Vessels in Australia’s strategic fleet will be crewed by Australian mariners. This will not only provide local jobs, but also enhance skills.

This is critical. Our nation’s sovereign capacity depends upon the maintenance of a maritime workforce with the skills required to operate ships in the merchant and naval fleets, as well as in our ports.

Existing coastal trade laws require that foreign vessels can be used to transport goods between Australian ports, but only when no Australian vessel is available. But the Morrison-Joyce government has undermined the licensing system to remove the requirement for Australian preference in practice. This must stop.

A Labor government will apply the licensing rules in our national interest. We will require that firms seeking to move goods between Australian ports attempt to seek out an Australian operator. When no local operator is available, foreign-flagged vessels will be required to pay Australian-level wages on domestic sectors.

Otherwise, more Australian vessels will disappear from our coast, along with jobs and wages that help drive economic activity in our communities.

Over the past half century, globalisation has made our world smaller, reducing poverty and lifting living standards. But it has also eroded sovereign capacity as nations have allowed traditional industries to die. For Australia, the loss of jobs in some industries has been damaging because of its effect on our national capacity.

It’s not just in shipping. Manufacturing has shed too many jobs on Scott Morrison’s watch. We need a future made in Australia.

The global disaster of Covid has reminded us of the risks involved in giving up our ability to meet our own needs in crucial areas. Now we have an opportunity not just to build back, but to build back stronger. A Labor government will seize that opportunity.

This opinion piece was first published in the Herald Sun on Friday, 21 January 2022.