Carnival Australia Says NMU is Recruiting by Filing “Whistleblower” Report
Carnival Cruise Line’s Australia operations have become the target of a campaign by the Maritime Union of Australia (NMU), which this week resulted in an unscheduled inspection by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). The cruise line is calling the MNU’s actions an effort to get attention and launch a membership drive, while the union is accusing the cruise line of low wages and poor working conditions aboard its ship homeported in Australia.
Carnival Cruise Line has operated in Australia since 2012, and in 2025, it consolidated its operations with the storied P&O Australia, which had been cruising from Australia for more than a century. Carnival rebranded two P&O cruise ships as Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter. The ships, each 108,865 gross tons with accommodations for 2,500 passengers, were built in 2001 for Princess Cruises and operated from Australia since 2022. Each ship has over 1,100 crewmembers. Carnival also operates one of its large ships year-round from Australia and has a second ship seasonally in Australia.
The MNU launched its campaign in January, charging “extreme exploitation” of the crew working on Carnival’s ships. They alleged low wages, tight living conditions, and poor working conditions. They were quick to point out that the cruise line employs mostly people from India, Indonesia, and the Philippines, calling them some of the “poorest economies on the earth.”
The MNU had announced it would stage a demonstration in the Port of Melbourne on January 21. They demonstrated in front of the Carnival Adventure while the ship was docked in the port to coincide with the Australian Open tennis match.
Carnival Cruise Line has consistently said it has nothing to hide. It says it adheres to the standards set by the International Labour Organization for pay and treatment of the crews aboard its ships.
The union, however, elevated it, claiming it had received an anonymous complaint from a worker aboard the ship about working conditions. It asserted that it had received hundreds of complaints about the ships and reported that it was passing the “whistleblower” complaint to the authorities.
"This is exactly what happens when you allow foreign-owned and controlled companies to sail the Australian coast, using Australian ports, carrying Australian passengers paying Australian fares, but who are completely immune from Australian law,” said the MNU in a statement.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which is well-known for its strict enforcement, especially on issues of crew welfare and safety, sent inspectors for the Carnival Encounter while the ship was in Darwin on February 2. AMSA responded to media questions, emphasizing that it ensures international crew welfare standards are met through regular port state control inspections. Ot said the results of its inspection were presented to the captain.
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Carnival Cruise Line told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation after the inspection that it had confirmed that AMSA found “no deficiencies” and that “no follow-up actions were required.”
The union, however, asserts the investigation is ongoing. It said there are “broader, systemic problems across the cruise industry.” The MUA also reiterated its call for Carnival Cruises to recognize the right of crew members to organize and bargain collectively in line with international labor standards.
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