I am wondering why motoring groups, travel forums, tasmanian tourist industries,tasmanian gov't and mug punters and tasmanians have not been up in arms about the cost of travel on the spirit. Trucks only pay the cost of what they would have spent on fuel its call freight equalization. Yet one of Tassies largest industries Tourism is not included.
There is a loophole if you are a sportsperson (perhaps tell them you bowl) or an entertainer.(tell jokes by the campfire) You get discount.
before the current State govt got elected, their shadow tourism minister said he intended to substantially reduce the Spirit prices to get more tourists into Tassie.
As usual, all election hot air !!
I'm sure I read in our local newspaper that Tassie will have a budget surplus this year because they get such a high proportion of the GST - much in excess of each $ they raise in GST tax
This year in WA we got something like 37c back for every $ taxed here. But Malcolm recently said he would have another look at this inequality haha
__________________
Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
"before the current State govt got elected, their shadow tourism minister said he intended to substantially reduce the Spirit prices to get more tourists into Tassie."
Did you actually visit the pub to see if the Spirit prices had been dropped? Whisky is still too expensive.
There is a subsidy for private vehicles and seasonal discounts. The subsidy applies to the vehicle up to 7metres in length but not to a trailer or caravan. And yes the length of the drawbar comes into the calculation of the fare (as part of the caravan). There is also a discount for pensioners and common interest groups such as CMCA members are often able to get special rates.
I also have travelled on several ferries while on the big island (Queenscliff, Kangaroo Island etc. Morton Bay islands) and on the basis of distance, time, facilities these are much more expensive than the Spirits.
If someone paid $1900 return then they must have had a very long combination, travelled during peak season and most likely did not sound out the cheapest rate available.
The Spirits are government run. Do you really think they are going to listen?
The TT Line may be government run but it is not a charity. The ferries run on a cost recovery basis. If there is any profit made and paid to the government then I suppose you know what the amount is. If there is none then your reply was just another one of the myriad of uninformed white noise that gets forums a bad name.
__________________
PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
3. The Rebate
The following rebates are available from 1 July 2016:
Up to $220 each way for a motor car
Up to $220 each way for a bus
Up to $440 each way for a motor home
Up to $440 each way for an eligible passenger vehicle towing a caravan
Up to $112 each way for a motorcycle
Up to $32 each way for a bicycle
Just imagine how expensive the fare would be without the subsidy. Feel for us Tasmanians who travel north for the winter on a regular basis, you will probably only come to Tassie once, maybe twice and your complaining.
Start saving and make the effort to get down here, you won't regret it