Read Andrew’s media release in response to Senate Estimates revelations about the Tasmanian Government’s bungled icebreaker refuelling solution below:
What is it about red and white ships and the Tasmanian State Government?
They completely and utterly bungled the replacement Spirit of Tasmania vessel project, and now they’ve completely and utterly bungled their part of the icebreaker replacement project. Lucky for them gross incompetence isn’t a criminal offence.
The revelation in Senate Estimates that the Tasmanian Government’s refuelling solution for the icebreaker Nuyina is to truck fuel to Macquarie Wharf, which by one estimate would require 64 road tankers over five days to complete, is appalling.
So it seems that the Australian Antarctic Division will be forced to continue sailing the vessel all the way to Burnie and back to refuel, at an additional cost to the taxpayer of close to $1 million on its annual fuel bill. That is money and sea time that should be used for research, but is instead needed to fill the gap left by the eye-watering ineptitude of the Tasmanian Government.
Of course the problem here is actually even greater, seeing as establishing a reliable and affordable refuelling solution is an essential pre-condition for the Federal Government grant of $188 million to refurbish Macquarie Wharf. That’s now at risk, and who would blame Canberra for baulking at throwing more good money after bad. I will do my best to preserve the funding, despite the Tasmanian Government’s best efforts to do the opposite.