Andrew Wilkie used a speech in the Federal Parliament to speak on the Spirit of Tasmania ferries fiasco. Please see above video for full speech.
“Deputy Speaker just when we thought the Tasmanian Government couldn’t get any worse, they’ve gone and completely stuffed up one of the most important infrastructure projects in Tasmania’s history.
“With an investment of almost $1 billion, the two new Spirit of Tasmania vessels were due to be operational by now, carrying an additional 400 passengers and 40 per cent more vehicles. But seemingly at every turn the project has been a circus, including construction delays, contract cancellations, and an estimated cost blowout of more than $500 million.
“And now we’ve learned that the State Government, and government-owned entities TT-Line and TasPorts, have failed to ensure the new Spirits would have somewhere to berth in the Mersey River. So it’s now estimated the berths won’t be ready until 2027, at an annual cost to the state economy of $350 million.
“In the meantime Deputy Speaker, the first ship must be relocated from Finland, where it’s being constructed, to Scotland to avoid the icy Finnish winter, which is where it’ll stay while the Government explores options to lease or charter the vessel, or until the new berth is ready.
“Put simply Deputy Speaker, this debacle is yet another example of the State Government’s complete and utter incompetence. That they think they can land a third AFL stadium on time and on budget is laughable.”