An advertising campaign that claims the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries will “not at all” be second hand when they arrive in the state after being leased out has been met with furore by Labor.
The double-page spread was printed in News Corp and Australian Community Media newspapers on Saturday and would have cost the state government several thousand dollars.
Deputy Labor Leader Anita Dow said the “PR exercise” was “yet another waste of taxpayer money”.
“Spending thousands of dollars of taxpayer money on this latest blame-shifting effort is a blatant waste,” she said.
“It is also pointless.”
The advertisement touched on docking the vessels in Hobart or Burnie, saying both ports “do not have the sophisticated ramping infrastructure” needed.
It also outlined that the required fit-for-purpose berthing infrastructure in Devonport is expected to be completed by February 2027.
“The facts speak for themselves,” Dow said. “People already know that the Spirits project has been a monumental stuff-up.”
“The ships are five years late, 500 million over budget, we still have nowhere for them to berth and Tasmanians are paying $50,000 a week to store them in Scotland.”
“If the government had answered questions on the project from day one, they wouldn’t need a double-page ad.”
