Premier Jeremy Rockliff has dodged a question about whether he can guarantee that the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries will be in full operational service by January 2026.
Opposition Leader Dean Winter asked Rockliff in State Parliament on Tuesday if he could “personally guarantee” the timeline, given the delays and communication failures that have plagued the project.
“The new spirits, when they’re finally here, will be fantastic for our state,” Winter said.
“But tourism and hospitality businesses across Tasmania have already been let down by delays and your failure to tell them what’s going on.”
“Many have made investments they’ve been paying for now, but they won’t see any return on for at least a year.”
Rockliff said his focus is on “delivery” and “solutions” and is awaiting advice from a Gemell Moloney report due on Friday.
“The time for politics is over. We will sort the Spirits, we will fix the [government business enterprises] and we will back our tourism industry,” he said.
Winter also criticised the government for considering sending the new ferries to Singapore at a cost of what he believes will be $3,000 per day while the Devonport infrastructure is upgraded, calling it “un-Tasmanian”.
“We have been calling on you to issue a ministerial direction requiring TasPorts to host the ships here in Tasmania without charging $8,000 a day. Will you do it?” Winter asked.
Rockliff again said the advice presented to the state government on Friday by Gemell and Moloney will guide future decisions.
“[We will work to] minimise taxpayer investment and funds when it comes to the transition around developing the required birth infrastructure and indeed bringing the new Spirits online,” he said.
