State Labor has raised concerns over a possible plan to lease out the two new Spirit of Tasmania ferries while waiting for berth upgrades in Devonport to be completed.
Opposition Leader Dean Winter questioned Premier Jeremy Rockliff about the new vessels’ delivery date, which has now been pushed back to July 2026 due to delays in berthing facility construction.
The delayed arrival has sparked speculation that the ferries could be docked in Singapore or anchored in the Derwent River for an extended period before entering service.
In response, the Premier said he would receive a government-commissioned report on the ferries and their berthing on Friday.
“I will announce next week a way forward for the Spirits,” Rockliff said.
“The Leader of the Opposition should be on Team Tasmania, but he appears to be on Team Talk Tasmania Down at every single opportunity.”
Winter slammed the ferries project as the “biggest infrastructure mess” Tasmania had ever witnessed.
“If the ships are leased to another country, the Tasmanian taxpayers have effectively been forced to support another country’s tourism and hospitality industry while their own suffers through the worst trading conditions they’ve faced in years,” he said.
Independent MP Miriam Beswick expressed a more open view, saying she and colleague Rebekah Pentland were “relaxed” about the possibility of leasing the ferries.
“No one is happy with the position we find ourselves in, but we have to make the best of a bad situation,” Beswick said.
“Any leasing arrangement would have to be clearly in Tasmania’s best-interests, but unlike Labor we have an open mind.”
She suggested that leasing could be a better option than having the ferries sit idle, but said there would need to be strict caveats, including immediate access once the berth is ready and guarantees of the vessel’s return in excellent condition.
