![Spirit of Tasmania II. Picture by Eve Woodhouse Spirit of Tasmania II. Picture by Eve Woodhouse](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/184500760/7423fe80-a42f-4cc0-bc87-b04c1fb97e75.jpg/r0_0_5553_3702_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Tasmanian Labor have established a parliamentary inquiry into the delivery of the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries following their call for one earlier in June.
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Labor leader Dean Winter said on June 19 he met with Ruth Forrest, the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, to raise his concerns about "unanswered questions" involving the Spirits IV and V.
"We need to see a parliamentary inquiry into this and the Public Accounts Committee is the strongest and the the most important committee right across the parliament," Mr Winter said.
"I'm very pleased that the Public Accounts Committee decided yesterday to actually undertake that work.
"It's now clear that the Spirit of Tasmania TT Line made a decision to pay $80 million of Tasmanian taxpayer money to a Finnish shipbuilder to bail them out during caretaker mode.
"That should trigger the involvement of both the government and the opposition to ensure that Tasmania's best interests are being upheld - that didn't occur."
Mr Winter said this was a breach of caretaker conventions and should be examined by a committee.
Liberal Member for Windermere Nick Duigan said the government had been "clear and upfront" on every question put to it around the Spirit ships.
"This is a complex project - no question about that," Mr Duigan said
He said TT Line's latest advice was that the government would take ownership of the vessel in Finland by quarter three of 2024.
"And of course there's port infrastructure upgrades that will be required and the Minister has been very clear with TT Line that they provide the required port upgrades at East Devonport before the Spirits are up and going," Mr Duigan said.
Mr Winter said he expected the Public Accounts Committee to call Infrastructure Minister Michael Ferguson and the TT Line chair and chief executive as witnesses.
"They have serious questions to answer around this matter," Mr Winter said.