The interim Chair of TT-Line, Damian Bugg, has admitted the company’s involvement in the Spirit of Tasmania berthing infrastructure project was a “mistake”.
During a parliamentary scrutiny hearing on Thursday, Bugg identified several issues that led to delays in constructing wharf facilities in Devonport, which have prevented the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries from operating in Tasmania.
He acknowledged that TT-Line, a ferry operator, should not have taken on the role of an “infrastructure builder” in the first place.
“Mistake number one. Should we have taken it on? No. Should TasPorts have said: ‘Get out of the way, we’ll do it’? Yes. They’re the port infrastructure entity. Now, is that a mistake? I think it is,” Bugg said.
Bugg also admitted that TT-Line was not adequately prepared for the scale and complexity of the project when it began and that there was “overconfidence” within the company’s ranks.
He said that the move from Station Pier to Geelong in Melbourne went smoothly because it was a tenancy arrangement by Geelong Port rather than a project undertaken by TT-Line.
“Therefore, the degree of confidence we took from that exercise was one that we should not have attributed to our ability to continue to function as an infrastructure builder in Devonport,” he said.
“Fourth mistake: We should have elevated the situation to a cabinet level when it became apparent that we were falling behind schedule. But we had overconfidence, I think, within our ranks.”
“It’s embarrassing and disappointing, though it may be, and we’ve just got to get on with it.”
“I can’t put the egg back together. It’s a mess. But what we can do is try and make the best of the mess.”
Four key mistakes identified by Bugg:
1. Initial involvement in the project
2. Failure to recognise the need for additional resources
3. Overconfidence following the success of Geelong infrastructure
4. Delay in elevating the situation to a cabinet level
