The Liberals’ promise to slash Spirit of Tasmania fares by 20 per cent is dead in the water.
All information shows the Liberals have done precisely nothing to reduce Spirit fares.
The Government itself made no mention of the 20 per cent promise in its spin-heavy glossy “delivering our plan” document from March this year and has been silent on the issue since.
We acknowledge that fares will fluctuate – but even if you look six months in advance, prices are more expensive.
Midweek fares* booked two days in advance last June (2014) were almost half the cost – $390 – of booking six months in advance for midweek fares in June 2016 ($744).
I encourage all Tasmanians who travel regularly on the Spirits to pull out their old receipts and compare fares with what they’d pay to travel now.
The Liberal Government will use an apples and oranges argument, which is why we are calling on the Liberals to release the fare costs that they will measure the success or failure of this policy on.
If the Liberals refuse to compare any fares whatsoever, how are they ever able to claim that they’ve reached their goal?
Or did they simply abandon the promise once reality took hold?
The facts are clear – Spirit of Tasmania fares have gone up under the Hodgman Government.
Braddon Liberal MPs such as Adam Brooks were happy to write blank cheques when campaigning but he’s light on for action since being relegated to the Liberals’ back-bench.
The facts are that the Liberals made a promise to reduce Spirit fares by 20 per cent, took all the headlines, and have done absolutely nothing.
*Two adults sharing a twin cabin
Bryan Green MP Labor Leader
