Rosalie Woodruff MP – Greens Energy Spokesperson
The Liberals’ latest Marinus Link announcement again fails to give any important information about who would pay for a second interconnector, and how it would impact on Tasmania.
There are multiple future renewable energy options on the table, and Tasmanians deserve to know whether this multi-decade, multi-billion dollar proposal would be the best step for our state to take.
Both Scott Morrison and Peter Gutwein keep spruiking Marinus Link as a crucial part of the coronavirus recovery, but we remain concerned their rush to seal a deal could leave Tasmanians with billions of dollars of debt and an ongoing burden on the state’s economy – which Basslink has been.
Liberal ministers have said repeatedly Tasmania won’t pay more than its ‘fair share’ for Marinus Link, but we are no closer to understanding what that means. The Liberals seem more interested in self-promotion opportunities than in explaining how this multi-billion dollar project would affect Tasmania’s balance sheet for decades.
State and Federal governments are rushing into fast-tracking approval processes for Marinus Link, but they still can’t say how it will be funded. That’s a crucial element to any project, but particularly one that would cost billions of dollars.
If the Government knows who is going to pay for Marinus Link, or how much Tasmania is going to pay for it, they should front up and tell us. If they don’t know, they should hold the bluff and bluster until they’ve got something honest to tell the community.
Senator Peter Whish-Wilson – Greens Senator for Tasmania
This is just another promo for Scomo, without any substance.
A number of independent economic reports question the viability of this project.
Instead of looking for press conference opportunities, the PM should be providing the public with more detail and addressing concerns, especially before tax-payer money is involved.