Deputy Premier Michael Ferguson has rejected accusations that he misled parliament about the cost of the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries, labelling Labor leader Dean Winter’s claims as “gutless”.
The controversy stems from a $13 million price hike on the contract for the vessels, which was blamed on the rising price of steel due to the war in Ukraine.
TT-Line, the company responsible for operating the ferries, said they notified Ferguson of the increase in a letter dated April 25, 2022 during a parliamentary hearing on Monday.
However, six months later, Ferguson told a government business enterprise scrutiny committee that the contracted price had not changed.
“I want to take this opportunity to totally refute the gutless claims that are being made by Mr Winter in relation to my honesty,” Ferguson said on Tuesday.
“I would never lie or mislead this parliament or a committee of it.”
After question time, Winter said he remains unconvinced.
“I don’t have confidence that Michael Ferguson tells the truth,” he said.
“He needs to go into that parliament and make a statement and explain exactly what happened.”
“His refusal to do so indicates that he’s got a guilty conscience, that he is guilty of incompetence, and that he has not been telling the truth.”
