MEDIA RELEASE
Thursday, 24 October 2024
Response to TT Line announcement
The TCCI is the voice of business in Tasmania and notes the Government’s announcement regarding the new Spirit of Tasmania vessels.
TCCI CEO Michael Bailey said that the business community was appalled by the way the Government has mismanaged this project.
“This is a dark day for Tasmania,” Mr Bailey said.
“This is even worse than we first thought. The economic costs will be felt by businesses and taxpayers for years to come, our brand has been damaged and it has impacted on business confidence. Worst of all, it will be very difficult to trust this Government again because of this. It will certainly be difficult to trust them on the timelines they have set out today, but we hope that they will prove us wrong.
“We are calling on the Government to ensure that there is independent and honest oversight of the Berth 3 project that reports directly to the public so that we can closely monitor how the project is tracking. It’s difficult to see how we can rely on the Government to continue to mark its own homework after today’s announcement.
“Importantly, we need the Government to work with the business community to ensure our interstate friends know that Tasmania is open for business despite this complete fiasco. Additional day sailings must be scheduled and while the support for tourism is welcome, the impacts are widespread and affect primary industry, small business and transport sectors to name a few, which the Government seems to have forgotten.
“This just highlights that there are significant cultural and leadership issues in the Tasmanian Government and our GBEs and it is now time for an independent, arms-length review. We call on the Government to consider the Advocate’s call for a Commission of Inquiry into this whole sorry mess.”