Flickr, Bernard Spragg
To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives: Australia’s Marine Highway.
This petition, from a Tasmanian, draws to the attention of the House that: Tasmanians are being badly treated.
Canberra has given Tasmania twenty years to have Bass Strait ferries integrated into the National Highway. But a well-funded, marine highway equalization scheme has disappointedly been, without mandate, turned into a subsidy benefitting a few.
There is now little control over Canberra’s uncapped, demand-driven funding. Ferry travel generally far exceeds the cost of road travel. Sea-based competition is opposed. Whilst federal taxpayers needlessly support Tasmania, game changing equalization is being discarded by Canberra and Hobart.
Unlike a road, the scheme doesn’t even facilitate travel for visiting friends & family, business and significant broader, two-way, tourism. Access is being restricted – also skewed against the interests of major stakeholders.*
Consequently economic growth is curtailed across South Eastern Australia. Federation principles of integrating the national economy through the ‘movement of people’ are ignored leaving a divided nation. Tasmanians are denied surface access, as others, to their home state.
Request: I therefore ask the House to: Restore & maintain equalization, integrating the ferry link with the Melbourne – Hobart highway it connects. Direct Bass Strait funding, mandated and obtained by the people, to deliver full sea – highway access.* Stop limiting growth in Australia’s largest population corridor by treating ferries differently from more costly highways.* Nationally manage the Marine Highway on a state neutral basis with Infrastructure Australia’s involvement. National support was for ‘equalization’ – not subsidies. *Senate Hansard – Senator Abetz 1/12/2016
Senator Eric Abetz responding to a petition from Peter Brohier
