The Scottish Government says it has no plans to lease the new Spirit of Tasmania ferry to house Ukrainian refugees.
“This is not true and we have no plans to lease this or any other vessel for this purpose,” a Scottish Government spokesperson said today.
It follows a government leak on Thursday which suggested the new Spirit could become a floating refugee camp in Scotland, which Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff refused to rule out when questioned.
“There are a range of things that could have been on the table for discussion,” Rockliff said on Thursday.
“Negotiations are underway and it would be premature to talk about the outcome of those negotiations and inordinarily influence that process.”
Today’s response from the Scottish Government has prompted Labor Leader Dean Winter to accuse someone of “lying”, saying the Tasmanian Government is “leaking like a sieve”.
“This doesn’t add up, Tasmanians aren’t being told the full truth about these negotiations,” he said.
“We’ve got the government who’s leaking like a sieve. Firstly, last Thursday, leaking a story that they were negotiating with the Scottish Government to turn our new ship into a floating refugee camp.”
“Now today, you’ve got the Scottish Government saying it’s not true. I mean, this is turning into a farce.”
The Scottish Government had previously relied on the MS Victoria vessel to house Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war with Russia.
Spirit of Tasmania IV arrived at Scotland’s Port of Leith in late 2024 while adequate birthing facilities are built in Tasmania, where it remains.
The Tasmanian Government says an update on Spirit lease negotiations will be provided when it is appropriate to do so.
