The owner of Tasmania’s helicopter rescue service says she and her team are “devastated” after today learning their 25-year contract to run the life-saving service has been lost.
Allana Corbin of Rotor-Lift said she felt “numb” after finding out her family business would “cease to exist” in January when the state government’s new $354 million deal with mainland operator StarFlight begins.
“Today is a very sad day. After 25 years of service to the community, it’s the end of our contract, which is devastating to all of us. We are a family here,” an emotional Corbin said.
“Come the middle of January, Rotor-Lift will cease to exist.”
The businesswoman, who survived a 1990 plane crash that killed five others, built Rotor-Lift with her late husband Roger Corbin – who died in a 2017 helicopter crash at Hobart Airport.
“Today is also like losing him again for us,” she said.
37 staff will lose their jobs when operations end, including 15 pilots Corbin has invested “hundreds of thousands of dollars” training. StarFlight has indicated it will seek to hire them.
“All that experience that I’ve invested in is basically being picked up and handed to somebody else. And that’s pretty hard to take,” she said.
“I’ve got staff that have been here with me for over 20 years. They built this business with me.”
Corbin rejected claims the new contract would save taxpayers money, arguing Rotor-Lift could have continued operations for $200 million over 12 years – $150 million less than the awarded contract.
She accused the government of treating Rotor-Lift “like the enemy for the last five years” – despite never breaching their contract.
“We’ve provided a Versace service at a Kmart price. Not one day have we not been ready to go on a job. Every moment that that phone has rung, we have been ready to go,” Corbin said.
She claimed the tender process was flawed, alleging Rotor-Lift was never consulted and only learned of the contract loss today at the same time as the media.
“You would think going into a new tender and having done this for 25 years that you would at least have the courtesy of a consultation,” Corbin said.
She has now called for an integrity commission investigation into the procurement process.
“For a small state, there seems to be this ongoing ‘we need mainland experience’ – but the government needs to look closer at what they have right here,” Corbin said.
“There are brilliant, incredible Tasmanians doing incredible things and we don’t need to be sold out to the mainland … we’ve pioneered this industry.”
Corbin said she had given everything to the business built with her passionate team.
“I just want to put my hand on my heart and tell the community of Tasmania that there’s nothing more I could have done. There’s nothing more I could have given,” she said.
“There’s nothing more I could have sacrificed or lost for this service. And it is absolutely devastating to have to let this go. But there’s nothing more I could have done.”
The new StarFlight contract begins in mid-January.
