Liberal Spirits waste – the curse that keeps on taking

The Spirits debacle is the most glaring example of waste from a wasteful 13 years of Tasmanian Liberal Government.

After the Liberals forgot to build a berth, Tasmanian taxpayers have spent more than $717 million to cover the blowouts on the disastrous replacement project alone.

But the full, lasting impact of the disaster runs much deeper.

Despite being the recipient of nearly $600 million in taxpayer funded bailouts, TT-Line will not clear its debt until 2052, with meaningful debt reduction not expected until the 2040s.

A child starting kindergarten in Tasmania today could be nearly 30 before the Liberals’ Spirits debt is finally paid off.

Today in Parliament, the Treasurer couldn’t say when there would be an end to the cycle of bailouts, and couldn’t guarantee Tasmanians would not be forced to pay more through increased fares and freight charges.

In May, I announced that a Labor Government will pursue a Bass Strait Sea Highway Reform Plan to clean up the Spirits mess, end the TT-Line bailout cycle, and fight for fair funding for Tasmania’s critical economic infrastructure.

Under Labor’s plan, TT-Line’s vessels, associated assets and debt will be transferred to a new dedicated transport entity within Government. This will allow TT-Line to emerge debt-free as a lean, profitable, operating company that can focus on what it should be doing: running safe, reliable ferry services across Bass Strait.

Eric Abetz’s only answer is to throw endless money at the problem, at the same time he’s cutting jobs and services to pay for 13 years of waste and the biggest infrastructure failure in Tasmania’s history.