Mark Baker (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise this afternoon to reflect on a matter of serious concern in my electorate and, indeed, in all of Tasmania. Members would be aware that the Tasmanian government owned TT-Line currently operates a daily passenger service between Devonport and Melbourne on Spirit of Tasmania I and Spirit of Tasmania II and three services per week between Devonport and Sydney on Spirit of Tasmania III. The Spirit of Tasmania III service was introduced as a result of the success of the twin ferry service between Melbourne and Devonport and was aimed at the New South Wales and Queensland markets. I know that a great many people have enjoyed voyages on Spirit of Tasmania III, but unfortunately it has become evident that the service is not sustainable from a financial perspective.

A recent report by TT-Line, which is currently under consideration by the Tasmanian cabinet, recommended disposing of the ferry. Serious questions are rightly being asked in the Tasmanian parliament as to whether the Labor government knew of the problems facing Spirit III prior to the recent state election. We all know about the recent accusations against the Tasmanian government in relation to Hydro Tasmania, a company the government said it would never sell. Given the conditions in the chamber at the moment, it is appropriate to say that Labor does business in the dark. We just heard the member for Gorton ranting and raving about industrial relations. Currently, the Maritime Union official in Tasmania, Mike Wickham, is blaming everyone else. He does not understand that the business case for Spirit of Tasmania III is that it must have 130,000-plus passengers to be viable. At the moment, the state Labor government can only attract around 80,000 passengers, which is indicative of Labor’s lack of knowledge of business and how markets and the real economy work.

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