Advanced Search

Share Coverage



Category: Community and Society / Tourism

'Lack of funding' sinks Tasmania's bid to secure HMAS Tobruk as dive wreck

Monday, 25 Jul 2016 12:28:57 | Damian McIntyre

HMAS Tobruk was decommissioned last July. (ABC News: Shuba Krishnan)

A bid to secure a decommissioned navy ship for scuttling off Tasmania's east coast as a dive wreck has sunk because of a lack of Government support, a lobby group says.

The HMAS Tobruk Skeleton Bay group is one of several across the country wanting to secure the ship for use as a dive wreck.

Project manager Peter Paulsen told 936 ABC Hobart the Government had not given the Navy sufficient paperwork, sending just a one-page letter backing the lobby.

"We've been arguing for the last month to have the State Government engage with doing the paperwork the Navy required to qualify for the ship," he said.

"They refused to do that, they're quoting that there's no funding for it."

Mr Paulsen said the chances of securing the vessel were now "in the toilet".

"I don't see how we can recover from this now," he said.

"I am disappointed the Premier would put his name to it, this effectively cut us out of the game."

Mr Paulsen said while the documentation required was detailed and complex, it was what the Navy needed to make their decision.

Federal Labor promised $10 million towards the project during the election campaign.

Proponents said it would attract thousands of divers every year who would inject millions of dollars into the local economy.

The State Government has been contacted for comment.

East coast 'let down' by tourism body

Mr Paulsen has also taken aim at the chief executive of the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania, Luke Martin, who suggested the money for the dive wreck could be better used.

"A chap in the middle of St Helens last week said to me 'This shouldn't be called the Tourism Council of Tasmania, it should be called the Tourism Council of Hobart'," he said.

"And I think that pretty much sums it up and that sums up the feeling in this community ... I think Luke Martin should apologise."

Mr Martin said the Federal Government should cover the cost of the dive wreck.

"I appreciate the frustration of Mr Paulsen and members of the St Helens community who have been campaigning for years for this opportunity and have been, frankly, led on by their political representatives," he said.

"We do not believe the Tasmanian Government has the capacity to meet the costs when there are so many other pressing infrastructure needs for the visitor economy on the east coast."

He cited upgraded camping facilities at Binalong Bay, improved drinking water at Scamander, sewerage at Coles Bay and emerging critical infrastructure issues at Freycinet National Park as needing more urgent attention.

A decision is expected to be made next month.

AustraliaPlus


 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend