Labor leader Dean Winter says both new Spirit of Tasmania ferries will be back in Tasmanian waters by Christmas if his party wins the July 19 state election.
Winter made the pledge alongside a commitment to guarantee permanent tourism industry representation on the TT-Line board, saying it would help fix the way the ferry project has been handled.
“A Labor government will make sure that both of our new Spirits are home by Christmas,” Winter said on day two of the election campaign. “We need our Spirits to come home, to be fitted out and get ready for service.”
He said the Liberals had been “all at sea” on the project, which has been plagued by delays and budget blowouts.
It cost former transport and infrastructure minister Michael Ferguson his frontbench position last year.
The state government has been working to bring Spirit of Tasmania IV back from Scotland, with the vessel originally scheduled to depart late last month for its 36-day journey to Tasmania.
But technical issues with the liquefied natural gas (LNG) systems on both ships have paused the journey. TT-Line recently confirmed a solution has been found and is in the process of being implemented.
Winter acknowledged the technical setbacks but argued the first vessel should never have been sent to Scotland in the first place.
“These ships need to come home and be in Tasmania. They should not be kept on the wrong side of the world,” he said.
Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania representative Cyndia Hilliger welcomed Labor’s promise of permanent tourism input on the TT-Line board, calling the ferries “absolutely critical” for the sector.
“The people travelling on the Spirits are the ones who are going to be driving around, towing caravans, driving their motorhomes, spending money in all parts of our region,” she said.
“It’s really important that we get it right and we have that opportunity to work alongside the TT-Line board with a tourism lens to think strategically about how we can make the most of those opportunities.”
Winter also committed to offering free berthing for the new vessels at state-owned TasPorts facilities once they return.
The new berth needed to accommodate the larger vessels at Devonport isn’t expected to be ready until October 2026, meaning the vessels won’t enter service until then despite being completed.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said there is currently “a lot of activity” being undertaken at the Devonport site to meet that timeline.
“Spirit V is almost complete, Spirit IV matters are still being worked on,” he said. “We’ll be bringing the Spirits back to Tasmania as soon as possible.”
