Geoff Lyons (Bass, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak this afternoon about the Bell Bay port, which is situated in my electorate of Bass, and the decision by TasPorts and the former Burnie Port to restrict shipping out of Bell Bay. A deep water port in George Town is vital for business confidence and TasPorts needs to give a firm commitment to the Bell Bay port. The operation of the Bell Bay port is essential for the survival and growth of numerous northern Tasmanian businesses and, for that matter, Tasmanian businesses generally. Having to transport goods to Burnie to be shipped out adds great costs to businesses, especially those in areas that are already suffering from things such as the forestry downturn in Tasmania, thus affecting their viability. I recently met with mayors and general managers in my electorate and the Bell Bay port was one of the main issues that they raised with me. None of them wanted to see the shipping stopped out of Bell Bay and all felt strongly that the long-term viability of the port and commitment by TasPorts for Bell Bay is vital for the business community of Tasmania.

International shipping out of the port ceased in March this year, causing a sharp increase in costs for Tasmanian businesses. They now have to ship goods via Melbourne and from there internationally. This recent move has now seen a greater increase in costs for businesses who are being forced to freight their goods to Burnie, then to Melbourne, and internationally via the international port in Melbourne—a very long and expensive business. The continued operation of the Bell Bay port is vital for the redevelopment and redirection of north-eastern Tasmania. This region has been hit hard by the forestry downturn, associated closures and job losses and, prior to this, the closure of Bonlac dairy manufacturers in 2000, the Simplot vegetable factory in 2003 and the Auspine sawmill after that.

For the businesses in north-east Tasmania that remain competitive, the operation of the Bell Bay port is vital. They cannot be hit with yet another setback. To transport goods to Burnie for shipping adds a huge cost, and one that a lot of these local businesses cannot financially bear. Shipping from Bell Bay must remain for Tasmania's future. Imagine the extra cost of sending containers, as some do now, from Bell Bay to Burnie and then on to the mainland. This is a burden that manufacturers should not have to bear.

As a result of the Burnie Port Authority deal with Toll, the fairness of shipping in Tasmania has gone out the window. I have in the past called, and I do so again, on TasPorts to give the same deal to any shipper who wants to use the port at Bell Bay. Unfortunately, due to the distorted market caused by this artificial deal, the whole shipping industry in Tasmania has to pay for this unacceptable deal. There should be two major container ports in Tasmania—that is, Burnie and Bell Bay. I call on TasPorts to offer Toll and any other shipper the same deal at Bell Bay as they have at Burnie. TasPorts needs to contemplate the future of shipping for Tasmania and plan for optimum shipping both internationally and nationally, and they should acknowledge that Bell Bay has the potential for greater volumes and better business for manufacturers in Tasmania. Unfortunately, this is unlikely given the present commercial arrangements TasPorts inherited with Toll. There is only one viable solution and that is to provide the same deal at Bell Bay as is provided at Burnie.