Last week, Minister Eric Abetz proudly said he was going to try lease Spirit V. Today, he was sensationally overruled by his Premier.

This came after Minister Abetz failed to deny “active negotiations” the Government claimed it was in to lease Spirit IV were with a broker who never had any authority from any of the British Government, the Scottish Government or the local council.  Effectively, the government was tricked.

The Minister could only vaguely point to a “number of approaches” the Government had received, which do not amount to active commercial negotiations.

Minister Abetz even had the gall to accuse Labor of jeopardising the negotiations, which is quite astonishing given he couldn’t even prove there were any taking place.

One thing was made clear – under Jeremy Rockliff’s weak leadership, the Liberal minority government are clearly still unable to take control of the biggest infrastructure stuff-up in Tasmanian history.  

If the minority Rockliff Government can’t even lease a ferry without wasting millions of dollars, being tricked by a shipbroker and embarrassing our state, how can it possibly manage the sale of more than a dozen government businesses?

Dean Winter MP
Labor Leader