Time to Cut Southern Shipping Adrift
The Tasmanian Greens today accused Infrastructure Minister Graeme Sturges of failing to properly oversee the Flinders Island shipping service contract, after the Minister was warned repeatedly by the Tasmanian Greens in late 2008 that the service was inadequate, but refused to do anything about the situation, leading to the current fiasco 12 months later.
Greens Member for Bass, Kim Booth MP, said the Greens had repeatedly warned Minister Sturges about the deficiencies of Flinders’ shipping service and had even called for a Parliamentary inquiry into the situation in 2008, but Minister Sturges refused to acknowledge Islander’s concerns, and the Bartlett Government used its majority in Parliament to vote down the call for an inquiry.
Mr Booth also said that the time for an inquiry into this issue has passed, and urged the Minister to cut Southern Shipping adrift immediately in favour of another operator who can do the job required by Islanders.
“Graeme Sturges’ failure to ensure a satisfactory standard of shipping has created this problem, and he must now wake up to the economic damage that his inaction is causing the Flinders community, and take immediate steps to cut Southern Shipping adrift and replace them with an operator who can do the job,” said Mr Booth.
“Graeme Sturges says he will now be ‘watching this service provider like a hawk,’ but his performance so far is more akin to that of a comatose sloth.”
“We could have found a solution to these problems through an inquiry 12 months ago, but now it is time for action.”
“I know of at least one farmer who has packed up and left Flinders because of the constant shipping problems.”
“Surely now even Minister Sturges can see what the Island community has been telling him for more than a year, with the Mathew Flinders now crewless and stranded in port?”
“Does the vessel have to sink before this incompetent Minister realises that there is a serious problem?”
“The Minister has done nothing about this situation for more than a year, and I have no confidence that he will do anything different about it in the future.”
“The Greens are calling on the Bartlett Government to commit to fixing the problems with the Flinders Island shipping service immediately. If that requires the government to cut Southern Shipping adrift, then so be it,” said Mr Booth.
Previous Greens’ media releases on this issue:
“FLINDERS LIVESTOCK STRANDED: Government Must Get Involved to Leave Reliable Shipping Licences,” Kim Booth MP, 24 September 2008, http://tas.greens.org.au/News/view_MR.php?ActionID=3289
“FLINDERS SHIPPING LINK SERVICE INQUIRY CALL: Government Has Responsibility For $200,000 Plus Contract,” Kim Booth MP, 25 September 2008, http://tas.greens.org.au/News/view_MR.php?ActionID=3295
“THOUSANDS OF STOCK STILL STRANDED ON FLINDERS ISLAND: Infrastructure Minister Fails Flinders’ Farmers,” Kim Booth MP, 15 October 2008, http://tas.greens.org.au/News/view_MR.php?ActionID=3326
“FLINDERS ISLAND SHIPPING SERVICE IN TROUBLE AGAIN: But Minister Won’t Review Issues Until 2011,” Kim Booth MP, 26 March 2009, http://tas.greens.org.au/News/view_MR.php?ActionID=3620
Kim Booth, Greens Member for Bass
