A majority Liberal Government will:
- Secure investment of $385 million into the largest collective port development program in Tasmania’s history, making a massive investment in jobs and freight capacity on Tasmania’s North West Coast.
- Deliver increased passenger and freight access to support growth for our island economy.
- Build sector-specific port infrastructure to facilitate growth in the export of goods and resources from our key freight gateways across Bass Strait.
- Expect to generate up to 2,700 jobs during construction, and by increasing the capacity of our ports, will inject millions of dollars into our economy through increased trade, increased mining royalties and an additional $200 million into our visitor economy.
Over the next five years this landmark investment will deliver:
- $145 million redevelopment of the Port of Burnie as a dedicated Bulk Export Terminal.
- $240 million modernisation of the Port of Devonport, in preparation for new vessels being purchased by TT Line and SeaRoad.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is continuing to invest in transformational infrastructure projects that provide long lasting generational benefits.
This is evidenced by our significant investment into new hospitals, schools, roads and bridges, and our major ports.
As Australia’s only island state, Tasmania is rich with natural resources, and we are a significant exporter, with our produce and product in demand worldwide and gaining global reputation. It is critical that flexible, contemporary marine port facilities, capable of expansion, are developed to meet future needs.
A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will work to secure investment of $385 million into North-West Ports in the largest port development program in Tasmania’s history.
The program invests both in sea port infrastructure and specific port infrastructure to grow our economy, support our exporters with exponential growth opportunities, create jobs and secure Tasmania’s future.
A $240 million investment into Port of Devonport
The Port of Devonport is the primary trade link for freight and passengers between Tasmania and mainland Australia.
A generational transformation through this redevelopment will ensure the greatest shipping capacity and most optimal port configuration for the next 50 years.
The redevelopment will provide the ability for operators to handle an additional 85,000 20-foot equivalent containers (TEU) per annum, boosting capacity by 25 per cent, and an additional 7,000 freight cars, increasing capacity by 20 per cent.
This $240 million project recognises the importance of Devonport to the Tasmanian freight and tourism sectors. The project is shovel ready and will commence in June 2021, with completion expected in December 2026.
It will deliver two modern, reconfigured and significantly upgraded terminals (Terminal 2 and 3), to accommodate the new vessels being purchased by TT Line and SeaRoad, supporting increased freight capacity and passenger numbers.
It will also deliver a smaller refurbished Terminal 1, providing the opportunity for additional vessel operations in the Mersey River, providing greater flexibility and capacity in the Port.
It is expected this historic $240 million investment will generate up to 1,700 jobs during the five-year construction phase, providing a massive stimulus for jobs and investment in Tasmania’s North West.
It will provide a 40 per cent increase in overall capacity to the port, which will deliver an additional $36 million into the Tasmanian economy through increased trade, and an additional $200 million into our visitor economy.
Unleashing a $145 million investment into the Port of Burnie
The Port of Burnie will be further developed as dedicated Bulk Export Terminal which will support exponential growth in Tasmanian mineral exports to global markets, together with growth in other commodities such as forestry and container export.
Stage 1 of the project includes:
- Major dredging to create infrastructure to accommodate larger vessels of 65,000 to 85,000 tonnes.
- Development of bulk export terminal infrastructure, including mobile crane reclaimers, conveyors, contemporary port stockpile facilities, undercover storage capability and road and transport optimisation.
This will enable increased capacity for larger vessels to berth at the port and will ensure fit-for-purpose terminal infrastructure.
To accommodate future growth of up to 10 million tonnes of mineral export, a second phase to the project (Stage 2) has been scoped and will include:
- The creation of a new deep-water berth (Berth 8) to accommodate vessels up to Cape size (18.8 metre draft), at a DWT of 125,000 to 200,000 tonnes.
- Reclamation of land to build a multi-commodity terminal with ship loading capability for minerals (bulk and concentrate), forestry and international containers.
The business case for this project will be completed before 1 August 2021 when it will be submitted to Infrastructure Australia for consideration.
The value of this project is $145 million and will commence as soon as confirmation of support from Infrastructure Australia occurs.
A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will commit $5 million to allow TasPorts to commence work on detailed engineering designs from June 2021.
The Burnie Export Gateway Project was endorsed as a Priority Initiative on the latest Infrastructure Australia Priority List, recognising the importance of this project to the economy.
Stage 1 of the Burnie Port development is expected to generate up to 1,000 jobs during the construction period, across a five-year period.
When completed, the redevelopment will enable 1.5 to 2 million tonnes of irone ore bulk mineral export per annum to be unlocked, generating an estimated additional $3.5 million in mining royalties.
Building more efficient port facilities will also support a significant uplift of throughput, enabling an increase in capacity by up to 22 additional sailings per annum, at 70,000 tonnes per vessel.
Costings:
Port of Devonport
$240 million capital development by TasPorts over a five-year period commencing June 2021.
Port of Burnie
140 million Infrastructure Australia Priority funding submission
$5 million Tasmanian Government commitment.