Tasmania could be in line for a multimillion-dollar penalty if a procurement agreement for the Marinus Link project is not signed by the end of the week.
The Marinus Link is a proposed multi-billion-dollar undersea power cable project that would connect Tasmania to the mainland.
Writing to Labor earlier in the week, Jeremy Rockliff urged leader Rebecca White to come to the table for an urgent departmental briefing as the state moves towards signing the final agreement.
“In September, my Government announced we had struck a new agreement with the Federal and Victorian governments to deliver Marinus on Tasmania’s terms,” he said.
“The deal will see Tasmania secure a 17.7% stake in the project with an estimated investment of around $117 million.”
At the time, Rockliff said he was pleased to have landed “on the right side of our line in the sand”.
Labor’s Dean Winter criticised the delay in signing the agreement, suggesting that if it is indeed the agreement to establish a special purpose vehicle to build project Marinus, it is “at least a year overdue”.
“To come to the Opposition, four days out from a deadline showcases everything you need to know about how completely broken Jeremy Rockliff’s government is,” he said.
“How long have they had this proposal in front of them? We will accept the briefing and act in the best interests of Tasmanians.”
Labor plans to sell Tasmania’s stake in the Marinus project to the mainland once it’s built.
“Our Marinus policy, like our broader energy policy, unashamedly puts Tasmania first, unlike the Liberals who put the mainland first,” Winter said.
