Opinion: Scrutiny shouldn’t go down with the ship

THE botched sinking of the ex-HMAS Tobruk off the Queensland coast is a multimillion-dollar stuff-up that deserves far greater scrutiny, writes Steven Wardill.

THE only thing successfully scuppered in the picturesque waters of the Great Sandy Marine Park over recent months appears to be the truth.

The botched sinking of the ex-HMAS Tobruk off the coast between Bundaberg and Hervey Bay in June was a multimillion-dollar stuff-up that deserves far greater scrutiny.

Future decided

Monumental stuff-up

Cost unclear

Leeanne Enoch described the Tobruk as a “world-class dive site” 10 times in six minutes at the weekend while announcing diving on the long-serving former navy landing ship would proceed.

However, this was nothing more than an attempt at world-class spin by Queensland’s trouble-prone Environment Minister, who appeared to slowly sink in the wake created by her own waffle.

Tobruk will forever lie on her starboard side after her scuttling went horribly wrong.

The cost of righting the ship on to its keel is up to $20 million, according to expert advice.

But there’s grave risk that such an operation would tear the vessel apart and render it useless as a tourism attraction.

So the decision had to be made to leave it alone.

Enoch may be right that divers will still be able to experience the submerged vessel.

However its starboard orientation has adverse implication on the experience that divers will require to enter the wreck.

And that has flow on implications for its long-term tourism potential.

Illustration: Brett Lethbridge

While reports have been made public about righting the ship and its future as a dive site, nothing has emerged about why the scuppering went so wrong.

Some in the industry are blaming the contractor.

According sources close to the decision making, a rival with more experience at sinking vessels also submitted an extensive tender.

However the Department of National Parks, Sports and Racing apparently baulked at the price tag which was around $1 million more expensive.

Others are blaming the Government and the method chosen to sink the Tobruk.

Explosives were shunned because of fears the vessel could bump into a whale on its way to the bottom.

Instead, the vessel was flooded using pneumatically operated valves, effectively like pulling plugs on a floating bathtub.

Some industry experts say this was a highly unusual and risky approach.

The HMAS Brisbane, which is a world-class dive sight, was sunk off the Sunshine Coast with explosives in 2005.

That scuppering also took place during the whale migration season.

But that did not stop then premier Peter Beattie from personally setting off the explosion.

It took just over two minutes for the Perth-class guided-missile destroyer to hit the bottom.

It landed in an upright position.

Tender documents show that the successful contractor was required to have an explosives licence and submit a scuttling management plan around safe detonation.

The material also required the successful contractor to ensure the ship ended “in an upright position”.

So why was the plug method chosen? Who chose it? Has the contractor, Birdon, been fully paid? Why?

Birdon successfully sank HMAS Canberra off the coast of Geelong in 2009 using explosives.

However it is having to fork out an estimated $1 million to improve light penetration and safety on the Tobruk to make it more suitable for divers.

Renowned dive industry consultant Terry Cummins, who was hired by Enoch to assess the ship, acknowledged the spate of problems.

Scuttling of the ex-HMAS Tobruk off the Fraser Coast

However Cummins suggested there were world-class dive sites on side-orientated ships, such as the Yongala near Townsville and SS President Coolidge in Vanuatu.

He recommended that stakeholders shouldn’t dwell on the Tobruk being stranded on its side, and should spruik the positives instead.

“The overall finding is the ex-HMAS Tobruk remains a highly suitable and extremely attractive dive wreck,” he concluded.

“Additionally, in her present orientation, ex-HMAS Tobruk offers a venue for those involved in training of advanced, wreck and technical diving.”

The difference, of course, is that the Tobruk isn’t a historic wreck, but scuppered purposely at great taxpayers’ expense.

The Yongala sank in 1911 during a cyclone, while SS President Coolidge ran into mines in 1942 while entering a harbour.

Some might also argue that Cummins comes from a position of conflict.

He’s the president of Dive Queensland, and spruiking the Sunshine State as a dive destination for the scuba industry is what that role is all about.

And while it’s all very well that the Tobruk is a great place for experienced divers, that’s not what Queensland taxpayers paid for.

Even after the bungled sinking in June, Enoch was still claiming the ship would be an attraction for divers of all abilities.

“Diver access holes have been cut around the ship to provide access and lighting into the depths of the historic ex-navy ship,” she said.

She has changed her tune to say beginner divers will only be able to navigate the outside of the ship, but that now includes the propeller.

Most people will never dive this site and we’re unlikely to ever discover what its true tourism potential was.

However, somewhere in the depths off the Fraser Coast is the truth behind why the sinking of ex-HMAS Tobruk turned into a world-class cock up.

Ted Sorensen was one of several MPs to share their harrowing stories during the abortion Bill debate.

Pollies can be people too

ON RARE occasions our politicians prove we elected them for the right reasons.

The two days of debate this week on the historic Termination of Pregnancy Bill 2018 was certainly such a time.

Released from the shackles of party unity and sanitised speeches, politicians from both sides of the abortion argument demonstrated great intellect and honesty.

Certainly, there were exceptions.

There were those that succumbed to internal pressure and put political survival ahead of principle.

There were examples of ill-conceived arguments and inflammatory rhetoric.

However, for a fleeting time, the din of pointless politicking was superseded by a more profound sense of purpose.

Health Minister Steven Miles may be mocked for using a “doctor” honorific, given his PhD was on union membership.

But Miles demonstrated enormous poise while overseeing this landmark legislation.

To some, Member for Hervey Bay Ted Sorenson’s political achievements might amount to not much.

However it was difficult not to choke up alongside Sorensen as he told of how his own adoption coloured his view on abortion.

Then there was Member for Pine Rivers Nikki Boyd, who last term earned the ire of colleagues for pushing to name and shame comrades who did not support abortion reform.

She revealed how she miscarried when Parliament was last considering termination laws, and endured all manner of vitriol this time around while being pregnant again.

And while the Left loves to loathe him, the LNP’s Jarrod Bleijie spoke with great candour about the tumult caused when he and wife Sally got pregnant when she was 17.

These are just a few examples of the many contributions that came from both the head and the heart.

They can be feckless and they can be frauds.

But sometimes our politicians prove, almost unwittingly, they are also very decent people.

Annastacia Palaszczuk has presided over historic change. Picture: Dan Peled/AAP

The week that was... and will be

Good week: Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who achieved what past Labor leaders couldn’t and took abortion out of the Queensland Criminal Code.

Bad week: The five Liberal National MPs whose jaunt to West Australian wine country last year angered colleagues and gave Labor plenty of ammunition in State Parliament.

Quote of the week: “You would think by now that the LNP would work out that LNP members and glasses of wine just do not mix.” — Tourism Minister Kate Jones calls forth the spectre of a former plonker MP.

Next week: Treasurer Jackie Trad is expected to ramp up Queensland’s fight against the Federal Government for a fairer deal from the GST.