The PV Fortescue is reportedly out of the water again for more costly repairs.
The PV Fortescue has become a metaphor for the Bartlett Labor Government – it leaks, it’s expensive to run, it wobbles badly and to date, it has proven to be useless.
Since Labor announced they were building a new police boat –
The Auditor-General found that Labor avoided a public tender process for both design and construction for no good reason
The cost blew out from $1 million to $1.5 million and was delivered 18 months late
It had major design issues, including excess spray and vibrations
The vessel’s designer was put on staff at the Police Department, which means that no indemnity insurance is available
The vessel has been in and out of the water to address its many faults
This major Police asset has only carried out one patrol since its launch. As a result of this single patrol, the vessel is now again out of the water, possibly for two months during the busy holiday boating period.
We believe that the vessel needs new fuel tanks, because it uses a huge amount of fuel and can only reach 70% of its designated range, needs a crack repaired in the stern of the vessel, needs corrections to internal fit-out and needs the chronic vibration issue reassessed.
I am calling on the Police Minister, Jim Cox, to explain how much these major faults will cost to fix and how long the vessel will spend out of water during the busy Christmas period.
Once again, we have another major Labor project in complete disarray and in need of yet more taxpayer funds to fix the problem.
Rene Hidding MP Shadow Minister for Police and Emergency Management
