Jan Davis: Stuck behind the freight ball

With the Premier standing behind him, Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding announced earlier this week that the government had decided to refurbish the two TT-Line Spirit of Tasmania vessels next year.

By upgrading the ships’ facilities and increasing the seating capacity on each vessel, and putting in place additional day sailings, the Minister said that passenger capacity on the TT-Line would be significantly increased, which would allow for more visitors, and lower fares.

In the same announcement, the Minister said that he was instructing the TT-Line Board to discontinue the proposal that was being considered by the former government to acquire two new dedicated freight ships.

This was interpreted by many as a strong signal from the government that tourism was more important than freight for the future of Tasmania.

This announcement had come like a bolt out of the blue for everyone involved. However, we weren’t going to jump to any conclusions. We know that the state government understands the importance of the agriculture sector in Tasmania, and they appreciate the freight challenges we face in getting product off the island. And we know that they would not want to run the risk of adding any more burden to this already difficult situation.

The Minister went on to add that the government has confirmed that the TT-Line will be required to demonstrate there will be no loss of service for freight customers during this process. He insisted that he would make sure that plans are developed to ensure that Tasmania’s fresh food and seafood industries can look forward to a seamless provision of freight services to cover the period that Spirits come offline.

Subsequently, we have been contacted by both the Minister for Infrastructure and the Minister for Primary Industries to reassure us that our farmers will be looked after while this happens. They believe that removing the government from the market would encourage the private sector to move to cater for any increased demand.

We had concerns about the former government’s plan for two new freight ships because we don’t believe it’s the government’s role to intervene in the private sector on freight more than already happens. So the decision to abandon this plan came as no real surprise.

It will come as no surprise to you when I say that agriculture is the key growth sector in our state economy. You hear me roll figures out on a regular basis that confirm the high levels of investment in agriculture and aquaculture; you read in Tas Country each week about farmers building their businesses and expanding their production; most of you probably know firsthand someone who is up to their elbows in one of these projects.

So, over the coming months and years, there will be growing demand for freight services to deliver increasing quantities of fresh fruit, vegetables, seafood, dairy products, meat, wine, nuts – you get my drift.

We want to be sure that our current and future freight needs are given appropriate priority. Neither of these ships is the Tardis – you can’t just open the front door and keep pouring more caravans and trucks in without impacting on freight services.

Some habits die hard. I’m an ex-school teacher – so you know what I am going to say next. That’s right – the government must show us their homework.

We need to be briefed as to the precise details of their plan to secure our freight services and to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to meet the industry’s expanding production. We want to know the full ramifications of the decision and the research the government had undertaken in scoping the task at hand. Importantly, we need to understand the level of consultation that had taken place with the private shipping lines that service Tasmanian freight requirements; and what contingency plans have been put in place to fill any gaps if the private sector doesn’t step up to the plate.

And there is no time to waste.

Tasmanian farmers have few options for transporting the top quality produce that has made our name in markets overseas. Time, tide – and perishable produce – wait for no man.
TFGA chief executive Jan Davis