State Government says it is close to bringing back the Scarborough to Moreton Island barge service
The idea has been floated many times in the decade since the Combie Trader II folded but the State Government says it is the closest it has ever been to bringing back the Scarborough to Moreton Island barge service.
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It has been three years since the State Government promised to bring the once popular Scarborough to Moreton Island barge service back – it says it is close to making that happen.
Residents have called for the barge service to be reinstated for more than a decade after it closed in 2008.
Plans to get it back up and running have been thrown around by State and Federal government candidates for just as long.
With an election set for October it is not surprising that the issue is once again in the spotlight.
State LNP candidate for Redcliffe, Kerri-Anne Dooley, started a petition calling for the government to bring back the barge.
Yvette D’Ath - the State Labor MP for Redcliffe - said the Government was by previous promises.
In 2017 Ms D’Ath promised to put $4 million towards building a road to the site at the Scarborough Marina and a breakwater rock wall.
The state government spent $400,000 on a business case that determined the best location for the barge service was off the northern arm or the spit (just past Sea Salt and Vine Cafe) of Scarborough Boat Harbour.
But despite all these funding promises the government’s expressions of interest campaign, which opened in July 2018, failed to turn up one business able to operate the service.
Last year during the federal election campaign, Labor candidate Corinne Mullholland promised a further $4 million towards the project.
In March of 2019, Mrs D’Ath announced there was a proponent interested in operating the service.
Now more than a year later Mrs D’Ath said this process was still ongoing.
“As far as the barge there was a delay with COVID-19 to the ongoing negotiations under the procurement process,” she said.
”Negotiations are continuing.
“The $4 million from the Labor Government is still there and we absolutely stand by the commitment.
“I still want to see this proceed. I made this point all along – that it would require a commercial decision from someone willing to operate the service.”
Ms Dooley said she started the petition to “hold Ms D’Ath and her Labor colleagues to account”.
But she was not able to provide any details on whether or not the LNP had any plans to provide funding for the project.