While Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s backflip to bring Spirit of Tasmania IV home is welcome, it comes at least four months – and millions of taxpayer dollars – late.

Spirit IV has now spent three months in hiding in Scotland, at a cost to Tasmanians of close to $2 million.

The Liberals have engaged not one, but two brokers, and we still don’t know the cost of those.

Throughout this sorry saga everyone could see that leasing the ship wasn’t going to happen, including TT-Line, which told Parliament it was very unlikely. This didn’t stop the Liberals maintaining their charade at great expense to the Tasmanian taxpayer so they could try and save face.

The ferry fiasco has been the biggest infrastructure stuff-up in Tasmania’s history, but the cover-up has been even worse than the crime.

After the Scottish government yesterday denied negotiating to lease the ship, many will be wondering if there ever was a genuine leasing offer on the table.

Josh Willie MP
Shadow Treasurer