Saving the Iconic Manly Ferries

After hearing the news that the NSW Government wants to retire the iconic Freshwater-class Manly Ferries only to replace them with smaller, less capable ships, Abigail stood to ask that the Government retain the existing Freshwater-class ferries.

Ms ABIGAIL BOYD (12:24:52): I direct my question to Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts, representing the Minister for Transport and Roads. This week it was reported that the iconic Freshwater‑class Manly Ferries, which have transported up to 45,000 daily passengers over nearly 40 years of service, will be retired in the coming years and will be replaced with Emerald‑class ferries. Those proposed replacements have less than one‑third of the passenger capacity of the Freshwater‑class ferries and will not be able to operate in stormy weather or ocean swells, thereby forcing commuters onto our already congested roads. Why is the Government retiring the iconic Freshwater‑class Manly Ferries, only to replace them with the inferior Emerald class?

The Hon. DON HARWIN (Special Minister of State, and Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts) (12:25:29): I thank Ms Abigail Boyd for the question. That is a matter of considerable interest to many people in the community, there is no doubt about that, and there has been quite a bit of media interest as well. As the question has been directed to me in my capacity as Minister representing the Minister for Transport and Roads, I will give the Minister for Transport and Roads the opportunity to provide a full answer to the honourable member. I will take the question on notice and I will ask the Minister to provide Ms Abigail Boyd with an answer as soon as is convenient.

TAX SUPERPROFITS TO PAY WORKERS MORE

NSW is missing out on tens of billions of dollars. By introducing a progressive coal royalty structure similar to the one in Queensland, we would have raised an extra $20 billion last year.

The NSW Government owns and controls, on behalf of the people of this state, the rights to the minerals and materials that naturally occur in NSW land.

Huge fossil fuel companies are only able to extract and sell these commodities with the consent of the State. It’s time they paid a fair price for that privilege.

The fossil fuel industry has made hundreds of billions of dollars out of their cosy relationship with governments. Granted permission to extract and sell coal, these large multinational fossil fuel corporations pay just over 7% in royalties back to the people of NSW – keeping the rest as mega-profits for themselves. These companies have a track record of taking more than their fair share and leaving communities suffering and stranded with poisoned groundwater, devastated landscapes and a stranded workforce when it suits their business models.

Globally, the hyper-inflation of fossil fuel prices driven by price-gouging opportunism and war profiteering from Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has delivered record windfall profits to these already obscenely wealthy corporations. In the last year, NSW coal exports totaled over $70 billion dollars, but the people of NSW will only see about 7 cents in every dollar, or about $6 billion dollars of that amount.

Rather than going toward schools, hospitals and public infrastructure, billions of dollars went into the pockets of multinational mining corporations. The Greens believe there should be more money for schools and hospitals and less for mining billionaires.

Sign our petition calling on the NSW Labor Government to increase coal royalties to invest in communities.

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Saving the Iconic Manly Ferries

TAX SUPERPROFITS TO PAY WORKERS MORE

Sign our petition calling on the NSW Labor Government to increase coal royalties to invest in communities.

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