A ferry good opportunity for Tassie

It’s time to think locally, and Bass Strait is our lifeline, says John Short

LIVING through a global pandemic has changed us – the way we work, the way we live.

It’s forced us to work more collectively while often from home and stopped us moving internationally as much as we used to.

As we recover from this pandemic we can’t snap back automatically to normal, to the way things were before. As we start the slow slog back to economic recovery we have to rethink ways to bounce back, and it will take time.

As an island state surrounded by sea, our challenges are unique and specific, but our thriving shipbuilding industry is part of the key.

While the federal government focuses on roads of national importance, we need to think about

Bass Strait – our gateway and our lifeline to economic recovery. Tasmania needs its fair share of that infrastructure spend.

With international travel still largely off the table, a proper approach to domestic travel will help us recover economically.

This is why Incat, Tasmania’s largest ship builder with the support of the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union is calling for a third ferry to be built that will carry freight, cars and caravans.

Building another vessel in Tasmania will lead to a skills and productivity boost that the state needs, creating hundreds of jobs. While the state government has introduced free travel for passenger ferries across Bass Strait, we need more from them.

Building a third ferry is that very boost we need to kickstart the economy after one of our roughest years in history.

Tasmania has a rich history of shipbuilding, and this proposal will grow it even further.

Too much of our tourism drive focuses on short, sharp visits that are mainly hotel driven and focused on Hobart and Launceston. It’s been shown that people who can affordably bring motorhomes, caravans and campervans over to Tasmania will stay longer and spend more.

As a bit of a grey nomad myself, I see how building a third ferry would help boost another wave of tourism.

This is not just about tourism, but the livelihoods of Tasmanians. By building these ships here, we boost local jobs and, in turn, the economy.

We need to plan for a different future. When the Sydney Harbour Bridge was built, they built it much bigger than they needed at the time. They were planning for years to come.

Tasmanian workers are skilled and capable. Our manufacturing workers are world-class. Building the Spirit of Tasmania here will create the highly skilled jobs we desperately need to kickstart our economy.

Shipbuilding employs thousands of South Australians. Building these ships will lead to hundreds of jobs at a time when more than 8 per cent of us are out of work.

I think of young apprentices at Incat like John Vo. He’s been lucky to get an apprenticeship at a time when they’re becoming harder to secure because of decades of insufficient support from governments.

If we don’t act now to boost our economy, local apprentices like John will be of the past. This is a once-in-ageneration chance to grow our shipbuilding industry.

We must build these ships here.