Flinders Service Stalls Again, But Contract Continues

The Tasmanian Greens today called on Infrastructure Minister Graeme Sturges to explain why the serious deterioration of the shipping service to Flinders Island is not breaching the Bartlett Government’s contract with the service provider, Southern Shipping.

Greens Member for Bass, Kim Booth MP, said it appears that there is no provision in the government contract to review or terminate the arrangement despite the ongoing problems over the past 12 months, during which Southern Shipping has:

– operated an unreliable service;

– failed to pay bills on time;

– regularly featured in the local collection service gazette;

– failed to pay the crew of the Matthew Flinders about $30,000 in wages;

– cut off the satellite emergency system on the Matthew Flinders; and,

– operated vessels that have a number of maintenance and safety issues.

“The shipping service to Flinders Island has been in trouble for more than 12 months but, according to Minister Sturges on ABC Radio this morning, the service is still meeting the ‘minimum’ requirements of the contract. It is increasingly obvious that the Bartlett Government’s contract with this service provider is deficient,” said Mr Booth.

“This State Labor Government has serious form when it comes to signing contracts with private companies that it does not clearly understand, and it is the economy, and the people, of Flinders Island who are now paying the price for this latest failure under Minister Sturges.”

“The Bass Strait island communities deserve to know why the litany of problems suffered by their shipping service during the past year are not grounds for a review or termination of the shipping contract.”

“The Minister must step out of his bunker and take decisive steps to resolve this problem. If that means terminating the current shipping contract and negotiating a new contract that guarantees reliability of service, and which also includes penalties for failing to do so, then that is what must occur,” said Mr Booth.
Kim Booth MP Greens Member for Bass