Michael Ferguson and Labor MP David O’Byrne clash over Spirit of Tasmania replacement ferries

A Labor MP has grilled a government minister over the state’s handling of the replacement Spirit of Tasmania ferries, asking why it put together a task force that has no knowledge of boatbuilding.

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GOVERNMENT Minister Michael Ferguson and Opposition MP David O’Byrne have clashed in a heated Public Accounts Committee hearing over the future of the replacement Spirit of Tasmania vessels.

During Wednesday’s PAC hearing into the state’s response to COVID-19, Mr O’Byrne took Mr Ferguson to task over aspects of the process.

It comes after the government announced in July it was going back to the drawing board to find replacement ferries for the TT-Line.

Announced in 2018, the two new ferries were supposed to be in service in March next year.

Instead, the government went against the advice of the TT-Line board and now aims to try to find a local builder for some or all of the $850 million-plus project.

Mr O’Byrne quizzed Mr Ferguson about the make-up of a task force established to look into options for the replacement vessels.

“Why are you not seeking tourism advice?” Mr O’Byrne asked.

“Why have you not chosen to put a committee that understands boatbuilding apart from [TT-Line CEO] Bernard Dwyer himself?

David O'Byrne Labor member. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

Mr Ferguson said the task force had a job to do and had significant capability.

“We are in the midst of a global recession. The industry that builds ships around the world has been smashed,’’ he said.

Mr Ferguson said the state government wanted a solution that was fit for purpose to operate across Bass Strait, but was now looking for an outcome that maximised local jobs.

Mr Ferguson objected to many of Mr O’Byrne’s lines of questioning about the topic and took a number of them on notice, saying he would provide responses to the committee at a later date.

An exchange continued between Mr O’Byrne and Mr Ferguson, prompting committee chair MLC Ivan Dean to intervene and “move away from any conflict”.

“We don’t want that. We don’t need it,’’ Mr Ferguson said.

“I feel sorry for your committee that you have to tolerate this behaviour from one of your members.”

Minister Michael Ferguson during question time in state parliament. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Mr Ferguson said many of the questions had already been posed in the House of Assembly, but Mr O’Byrne and fellow Labor committee member Josh Willie argued that did not mean they could not also be raised in the PAC forum.

The government’s move to go back to the drawing board came three years into the replacement project, leaving questions about who will build the ferries, at what cost and specification, and when they might be delivered.

Premier Peter Gutwein blamed the economic disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic for the decision, which was taken in the last few weeks after consultation with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

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