Spirit switch hits hurdle
Geelong chases government funds for ferries
Spirit of Tasmania’s move to a new base at Geelong next year has hit troubled waters, with the Victorian government resisting calls for roads funding.
With GeelongPort investing $135m in the ferry terminal, the region’s key advocacy groups have united in a call to make the works a funding priority.
A year on from the Spirit of Tasmania’s decision to relocate its Victorian terminal from Port Melbourne’s Station Pier to Geelong, they say government support is urgently needed to unlock the massive tourism potential for the region.
The $15m is needed for major works that will create a welcoming and functioning terminal with passenger car and freight access points.
However, the state government says the issue is a matter for GeelongPort, which is developing the 12ha facility so the ferry can start docking there next year.
A government spokesperson said the Department of Transport was working closely with all key agencies and stakeholders, including GeelongPort, on the relocation.
But the spokesperson did not offer any encouragement that funding would be considered for the state budget to be handed down on May 20. “This is a matter for GeelongPort, which is a private authority and responsible for financing and infrastructure,” the spokesperson said.
GeelongPort is also hoping the federal government will back the project.
Chief executive Brett Winter said the relocation to Geelong was forecast to benefit Victoria’s tourism sector through increased expenditure of $174.1m by 2029-30.
“This presents as a terrific opportunity for the federal government to back tourism businesses to recover from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic with a project that will turbocharge tourism in the Geelong region,” Mr Winter said.
The Committee for Geelong, G21 Geelong Region AlTHE liance, Geelong Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine, Geelong Manufacturing Council and the City of Greater Geelong are all pushing for government support for the roadworks.
Committee for Geelong chief Jennifer Cromarty said the road upgrades were crucial to ensure safe access to all users of the port and for everyone using the regional road network, which was owned by the state government.