Tasmanian taxpayers will fork out $1.2 million a month to store the new Spirit of Tasmania vessels in Scotland, according to documents from the Premier’s office, Labor have said.
The new ferries are unable to begin transporting passengers and freight across the Bass Strait due to delays in the construction of a permanent berth in Devonport.
Labor say the total storage cost of at least $24.3 million, assuming the berth is completed by mid-2026, is a waste of money when they could be docked in Hobart for free.
“Our Spirits of Tasmania should be here in Tasmania,” leader Dean Winter said.
“The only conclusion you can come to as to why Jeremy Rockliff wants to send the Spirits to Scotland is because he doesn’t want a giant floating billboard of his own incompetence sitting in Tasmanian waters.”
The $375 million berth project, initially scheduled for completion in August, has been delayed until February 2027.
On Wednesday, Premier Jeremy Rockliff refused to release or comment on the cost of docking the Spirits in Scotland “plucked” by Labor.
“Whenever [the] Labor Party presents something publicly, you’ve seriously got to take a step back and then investigate and look at the facts,” he said.
“We’re working through the detail. I’m going to ensure that when the detail is there, dotted every I, crossed every T, we are open and transparent with the Tasmanian people.”
“But again, the value for the Tasmanian taxpayers is at the forefront of my mind.”
Labor will next week move for the establishment of a parliamentary committee to provide greater scrutiny over the project when parliament resumes.
