Tassie ferry to be sold
The Sydney to Devonport ferry, Spirit of Tasmania III, is to be sold.
Tasmania’s Premier, Paul Lennon, announced the Cabinet decision yesterday afternoon.
Mr Lennon says the loss-making ferry must be sold to prevent TT-Line from becoming insolvent and Cabinet has approved an additional $22 million to divest the ship.
“Spirit of Tasmania 3 was a bold experiment to try and penetrate in a big way a new market but it hasn’t worked,” Mr Lennon said.
The Tasmanian Government has spent more than $65 million propping up the service, which has been running for two-and-a-half years.
Mr Lennon says he does not regret ignoring advice to sell the ship during that time. The Government will now spend $31 million to bolster tourism and marketing in Tasmania and $22 million to help retire Spirit 3’s $100 million debt and pay redundancies.
“The North-West Coast can be assured that the Tasmanian Government is very much committed, as I told the mayors when I saw them last week, to supporting regional tourism in that region,” Mr Lennon said.
Tourism Minister Paula Wriedt will meet with mayors, tourist operators and other businesses in the North-West to devise a marketing and promotions plan, to be approved by the Government.
The two Melbourne ferries will be retained.
Graham Muldoon
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