Labor is confident it has the support of the Parliament to this week establish a Parliamentary Oversight Committee to oversee the Spirits of Tasmania project until the boats are finally sailing out of the Mersey.

The Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said it will be hard to ever trust this government again and people are demanding answers about how this could have happened.

The Committee will provide the Parliament and the Public with regular updates on progress with the Ships and the Berth facilities.  Led by Labor, the Committee will provide the oversight that Michael Ferguson and Jeremy Rockliff did not. 

So far, the only answers we have from the Liberals are ones we have dragged out of them over six months of questioning. 

Given their efforts so far, it would be reckless and irresponsible to trust the Liberals to bring the ships home without supervision which is why we need an oversight committee.

Spirits mess so far – why the Liberals need the L-plates on to bring the ships home:

Cost blow-outs

• $12 million in additional maintenance and interest cost
• $13 million increase to "fixed-price contract
• $81 million secret bail out the Finnish shipbuilder RMC
• $285 million Berth 3 cost blowout
• $1.2 million per month storing the new Spirits in Scotland

Opportunity cost

• Tasmanian economy misses out on $500 million of economic activity every year the new ships are delayed

Delays

• The Spirits were meant to be sailing by 2021

Dean Winter MP
Labor Leader
Shadow Minister for Tourism & Hospitality