Jeremy Rockliff needs to provide an update on the Spirits of Tasmania project. It is worth $500 million to the economy every year and it’s critical for the sluggish northwest hospitality sector that continues to struggle through the low season.
There is still no sign of a design or costings for the patch job, Berth 1 proposal which will cost at least $50 million. Michael Ferguson committed TT-Line and TasPorts to building it despite not knowing the cost, a timeframe for delivery, or if it’s safe or feasible.
While Labor has put forward positive proposals to get the Spirits back on course, Jeremy Rockliff has refused to offer any solutions or reveal the status of the project since Michael Ferguson’s resignation.
The last update the Government provided was that the first new ship would be sailing down the Mersey by August – it’s now September and it is nowhere to be seen. When will it be here?
Michael Ferguson also refused to give an update on the LNG refuelling project that was supposed to be built as part of the government’s refuelling plan. Is the government still committed to it? If it is, why hasn’t it even started yet? Will it be ready for the new ships? Or have they forgotten about refuelling as well as the new wharves?
The Liberal minority government has turned the Spirits project into the biggest infrastructure stuff up in Tasmania’s history. Michael Ferguson has already lost one of his ministries over this debacle, and yet he remains one of the Shareholder Ministers overseeing TT-Line and TasPorts.
Nothing gets done under Jeremy Rockliff’s minority Liberal government, and Tasmanians are rightly wondering whether anything has anything actually changed since Mr Ferguson was forced to resign.
Jeremy Rockliff needs to outline when the ships will be here, what progress has been made on the refuelling project, and whether he’s going to adopt Labor’s positive ideas to make up for the lost tourism revenue this fiasco has caused.
Dean Winter MP
Labor Leader
Shadow Minister for Tourism & Hospitality
Anita Dow MP
Deputy Labor Leader
Shadow Minister for Infrastructure
