The Hon. Lara Giddings
Premier of Tasmania
Parliament House
Hobart
20th July 2013
Dear Premier,
Bass Strait — a matter that makes sense
The National Sea Highway “NSH” crossing Bass Strait, using shipping, can be made much more effective in days with the involvement of the Tasmanian Government.
The NSH concept is to equalise the cost of the movement of all people, all vehicles and all freight (save for bulk cargo) crossing Bass Strait in both directions to the cost of land-based highway travel.
This type of link is consistent with the aim of federation – to integrate the nation’s colonies into a national economy through the movement of people and freight.
It is also in line with the history and or the original intent of Canberra’s Bass Strait equalisation schemes and the acknowledgement by the Howard Coalition and by Rudd Labor of their intent to make Bass Strait “part of the national highway” and or to “move towards national highway equivalence”.
The federal Bass Strait equalisation schemes are now not functioning in a way that delivers fair and comprehensive equalisation, nor do they seem to have any likelihood of fully achieving that aim without federal intervention and/or Tasmanian Government involvement.
Bass Strait has been widely recognised as the single greatest impediment to the growth in population, investment and jobs for Tasmania. Fixing this link will allow Tasmania to use all its natural and developed strengths to advantage and promptly reverse its current economic decline. There is significant uncapped federal equalisation funding and unused shipping capacity to commence implementing a comprehensive sea highway right now.
It is also important that federal funding be well directed to achieve transport equality and to close this only gap in the nation’s interstate inter-capital transport corridors. The schemes should not encourage uses other than delivering comprehensive equalisation. A mechanism should be developed to ensure they continue that way.
The cost to Canberra could be in the vicinity of $280 million a year, if the schemes are well targeted. Canberra would then be providing strict “equalisation” and a “sea highway”, not Tasmanian related schemes that are called “equalisation” but look more like subsidies. The $280 million should then be justifiably and notionally shared between Victoria and Tasmania based on the location of the states common border, say $140 million each. By using this fair allocation, already applied to punts crossing the New South Wales – Victorian border, federal funding under all existing Bass Strait schemes, currently allocated to Tasmania, will not need to be increased and yet a comprehensive sea highway can be delivered.
The $280 million a year is a very small amount when compared with the advantages of properly integrating and driving public and private investment in the billions on either side of Bass Strait by facilitating the free flow of people and freight. It is time the whole of our nation is properly linked by a fully integrated surface transport system – not one that discriminates between industries and between some states over some water.
Madam Premier, will the Tasmanian Government support a more effective NSH offering Tasmanians a fair right to travel and open this vital economic lifeline or, will it seek to maintain, at all costs, a status quo having little hope of ever changing Tasmania’s fortunes?
Yours sincerely,
*Peter Brohier was born in Devonport, Tasmania. He now lives in Nth Caulfield, Victoria. He is retired lawyer and Chairman of the former National Sea Highway Committee. Peter started his campaign at a public meeting at the Burnie Civic Centre about 20 years ago and has continued to fight for Bass Strait transport equity since 1992. Peter was described by Paul Lennon as the person most responsible for the introduction of the Bass Strait Passenger Vehicle Equalisation scheme. He is the recipient of the Australian Hotels Association -Tasmania award for outstanding services to tourism.
