Former Hobart Lord Mayor Ron Christie believes Tasmanians shouldn’t pay as much as tourists to travel on the Spirit of Tasmania, saying the Bass Strait crossing should be classed as an extended highway for Tasmanians.
“A lot of Tasmanians don’t go there [the mainland] for a holiday,” he told Pulse.
“It’s not a luxury cruise.”
“A lot of our residents go over there for medical reasons. They also go over there for education.”
He feels so strongly about the unfairness, he has launched a petition calling on the state government subsidise Spirit of Tasmania fares for Tasmanians after the ferry replacement project’s massive cost blowouts.
Christie, who served as lord mayor in 2018 started the Change.org petition after customers at his former tea rooms business constantly complained about the project’s mismanagement.
Christie said Tasmanians were paying the same fares as tourists despite taxpayers footing the bill for cost overruns exceeding $500 million.
“I thought, wow, we should be entitled to something,” he said.
“If they’re gonna waste $500 million plus of our tax money down the Bass Strait gurgler, why wouldn’t you subsidise your rate and taxpayers?”
Christie said the petition follows his research into other jurisdictions that offer resident discounts.
He said Bruny Island residents pay just $19 for ferry crossings compared to the standard tourist rate of $55.80
He claimed he recently paid almost $1,500 to take his car and travel with his wife to Melbourne aboard the Spirit service.
Christie is aiming for 100,000 signatures before the 2029 state election.
“If we aim for 100,000 signatures, this issue can and should play a meaningful role in the 2029 State election,” he said.
“Assuming the new berths are completed by then.”
“The Bass Strait really is an extended part of our national highway system.
A government spokesperson said the Spirit of Tasmania operates in a competitive market with airlines and uses a similar industry-standard pricing framework.
“With the increased capacity on the new Spirit of Tasmania IV and V ships, there will be more opportunities for discounted fares on all crossings,” they said.
“There are currently no plans to differentiate pricing between Tasmanian residents and mainland visitors.”
Christie closed his Hobart Town Tea Rooms after seven years and is the process of launching a podcast called Radio Boom Boom, focusing on politics and interviews with figures from his political career.
“It’s a podcast for boomers,” he said.
The petition is online here.
