State U-turn on dive site

Project is back on course after report

THE State Government has thrown its engines in reverse, stopping a secret plan to pull out of a bid to tender for and sink a retired warship off the Gold Coast for a tourism dive site.

It’s now full steam ahead on the bid to scuttle the frigate HMAS Darwin and create an underwater tourism gold mine for the city.

But the backflip only came hours after the Gold Coast Bulletin published a report that revealed the office of Tourism Minister Kate Jones wrote to Canberra to withdraw from the bid process.

The Government failed to tell the city council or Gold Coast federal MPs, leaving them to continue negotiations for six months in the belief the Palaszczuk Government was

still on board.

Amid the furore that erupted following publication of the story, Ms Jones told the Gold Coast Bulletin a renewed commitment to the project would be covered in a new tourism infrastructure fund to be announced in the State Budget.

The written withdrawal from the bid had been made in January.

Fadden LNP MP Stuart Robert, who has been lobbying for the project, said he was only notified last week of the State Government’s decision to pull out.

The Gold Coast MP estimates the cost of the venture to sit at $10 million.

Mr Robert yesterday scoffed at claims by the State Government that the warship would cost $30 million to scuttle off the Gold Coast.

“The price discussed has always been $10 million,” he said.

“It cost about $7.5 million to scuttle the HMAS Brisbane (off the Sunshine Coast) and up to $10 million to sink the Tobruk.

“So why would it suddenly cost a massive $30 million to scuttle the Darwin? That’s a ridiculous claim.”

Mr Robert said he received confirmation again yesterday from Defence Personnel Minister Darren Chester that the cost for a state to establish a dive wreck was around $10 million.

In a letter yesterday to Mr Robert, Mr Chester said that in 2015 the governments of Queensland and Tasmania had applied for funding assistance from the Commonwealth of up to $10 million to create a dive wreck with HMAS Tobruk. He said he understood the actual cost to the Queensland Government to sink the Tobruk in Wide Bay, due to happen this month depending on weather conditions, was in the order of $8 million.

However the Queensland Government, which would be responsible for the shipping, stripping and scuttling of HMAS Darwin, has estimated costs at closer to $30 million.

Ms Jones said a budget commitment would be made for the dive site as part of a new fund.

“For the first time, in next week’s State Budget, we have a new tourism infrastructure fund to support tourism product like this,” she said.

“I have spoken to Mayor Tom Tate and told him we will work together to secure funding – from the fund – towards this project.

“While we still have not received any details about the costs of this project from the Federal Government, it is great news for the Coast that Stuart Robert says that the total project will be $10 million.”

Despite estimate discrepancies, Cr Tate committed to making the plan work and called for $8 million from the new State Government fund.

“I spoke with Tourism Minister Kate Jones and she is fully behind our bid to secure a decommissioned naval vessel for the Gold Coast site,’’ he said.

Cr Tate said the council had already committed $2 million to the project, but did not detail how it would be covered if costs exceeded the $10 million estimate.

“The Government just needs to give us $8 million and we will make it all happen,’’ he said.

“There are a lot of secret herbs and spices and I don’t want the colonel ringing me yet.”

State Opposition tourism spokesman David Crisafulli said the LNP would support an $8 million commitment in the Palaszczuk Government’s State Budget.