Premier Jeremy Rockliff, flanked by ministers Kerry Vincent and Eric Abetz, hoped to clear the air on Thursday over the Spirit of Tasmania rollout debacle.Tasmanian business and tourism leaders have described the Spirit of Tasmania rollout debacle as "embarrassing" and a "calamity", despite Premier Jeremy Rockliff trying to clear the air with new time frames.
Mr Rockliff is under increasing political pressure over the saga, which has already claimed the deputy premier.Mr Rockliff promised to set a pathway forward by giving firm time frames and interim solutions, but has left the business and tourism sector reeling. Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Amy Hills said the confirmed delays were a blow for the sector.
Storing the ships until the berths are ready was the preferred option, with potential locations already assessed. "If the alternative is simply paying to have the ships tied up at a dock … that would be the government paying out more money to berth those ships without getting any revenue for them."