EDITORIAL
Labor Leader Dean Winter
For much of this year, the Spirit of Tasmania ferries have been making news – and it’s been bad news.
businesses that had pinned their hopes on a boost to visitor numbers, especially in regional areas.
The bigger, better new ferries will have the capacity to bring in a lot more visitors to explore our state and many businesses in the hospitality and tourism sectors are hoping that will provide a much-needed boost. Yet the new Spirits are five years overdue, $500 million over budget and still overseas. And they will have nowhere to berth when they eventually get here. The ferries cannot operate to their full capacity because a suitable berth in Devonport is yet to be built, so the industry has to still wait for the increase in visitation. There has never been a bigger infrastructure spend in our state’s history than the new Spirits and sadly, there has never been a bigger stuff-up. The revelations of how this project has been left to drift have rightly angered the taxpayers who are footing the bill. Labor understands that hospitality and tourism are a cornerstone of our state’s economy. That’s why we have offered a plan to make sure this farce is fixed and that it can’t be repeated. First of all, we have proposed for day sailings to be doubled while we wait for the new ferries to be operational. This would be a big help to those
It is clear that the state-owned ferry operator TT-Line and state-owned ports operator TasPorts have not worked together in the best interest of Tasmanians. A gobsmacking example is that TasPorts wants to charge outrageously for the new ferries to be in Hobart while the Devonport berth is being built, and that TT- Line is considering parking them in Singapore instead. It is inconceivable that the State Government has not directed TasPorts to host them for free.
Labor is determined to reform the way Tasmania’s Government Business Enterprises are managed.
Our plan involves making not one but two ministers responsible for each of the GBEs to prevent the complacency and lack of transparency that have been the hallmark of the Spirits project. It also includes limiting GBE board members to serve a maximum of two terms to provide fresh perspectives on operations. We also want members to serve on only one GBE board. We need to fresh faces and new ideas in our GBEs. We have also pledged to give the tourism industry a permanent seat on the TT-Line board. This recognises the importance of the visitor economy to our state for the long term, after the current mess has been cleaned up.
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