HMAS Darwin hopes could be revived if Federal Government comes to play

CAN the plans for HMAS Darwin to be scuttled off the Gold Coast be revived? Tourism Minister Kate Joes says the onus is on the Federal Government to deliver it if it happens.

Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones.

STATE Tourism Minister Kate Jones says she has the money for a dive site on the Gold Coast, but the onus is on federal MP Stuart Robert to deliver it for $10 million.

While no specific money was allocted for a dive wreck in the $46 million Regional Tourism Infrastructure fund in Tuesday’s State Budget, Ms Jones said: “We have the funds there, but we need to know how much this will cost. Let’s be frank it is a Federal Government asset.”

The Bulletin this month revealed the State Government had withdrawn its interest from bidding in three possible frigates to sink on the Gold Coast.

HMAS Darwin

Ms Jones said obtaining the HMAS Darwin would have costed $30 million. Mr Robert, the Member for Fadden, said the figure was “absolute crap” and could be done for $10 million.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate then called on the State Government to cover just $8 million of total cost.

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“My position is, I am all for a dive site and this is what the Tourism Infrastructure Fund was established for, but I have not been contacted by Stuart Robert on the proposal that he said would cost $10 million,” Ms Jones said.

Liberal Member for Fadden Stuart Robert (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

“I am yet to even have a conversation with the man,” she said.

Ms Jones said yesterday she could not detail the funds for the site specifically in the 2018-19 Budget as the price of the purchase had not been established, nor had she seen a case study.

The Minister said in previous dive site bids, the Federal members worked hard to convince the State Government to release the vessels for a bargain price.

“I am more than happy to hear from the Federal Gold Coast MP’s like Minister Ciobo and Stuart Robert to hear how much the Federal Government can provide it for,” she said.

“We have a $46 million fund, but step one is to hear from the federal members who say they have been lobbying for this.”

Queensland State Member for Broadwater and Shadow Minister for Environment and Tourism David Crisafulli. Photo: Michael Chambers

David Crisafulli, the shadow Minister for Environment and Tourism, said he was nervous that funds for the dive reef were not specifically listed in the Budget.

“There is no specific money in the dive site, but there are separate line items for the others,” the Broadwater MP said.

“I just want us all to be fair dinkum about this, I don’t want this to become part of political gamesmanship where different levels of government pretend to have varying degrees of interest.

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“We all want to see this occur,” he said.

“What would have been great would be to have the eight million as a separate line item but it isn’t there,” he said.

“If we say we can fund it, we then have the best chance to make our case.

“There was a change of government attitude after the Bulletin raised the story, but good intentions need to be backed up by good financial contributions,” he said.