Joint Press Conference in Hobart

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
PRESS CONFERENCE
HOBART
FRIDAY, 6 FEBRUARY 2026 

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government’s $188 million investment in Macquarie Wharf 6 redevelopment; Maugean skate; Tasmanian salmon industry; Antarctica; Housing; Sand flathead.

JULIE COLLINS, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY, MEMBER FOR FRANKLIN: It's terrific to be back in Hobart today and particularly great to have my colleague, Minister Murray Watt, the Minister for the Environment, and State Minister Kerry Vincent here for what is a large announcement. We've also got TasPorts here and of course, the Antarctic Division and representatives from Hazell Brady because this is a great project for Tasmania.

This is about the redevelopment here at Macquarie Wharf 6, so that the Antarctic vessel behind us, the Nuyina can come up here and park. This is about making sure that Hobart and Tasmania remains the heart of our Antarctic Division program and can I say as a Minister from Tasmania and also as a local member, I couldn't be more thrilled to see this project getting underway and it's because, of course, an investment from the Albanese Labor Government of $188 million. And I'll hand over to Minister Watt.

MURRAY WATT, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: Thanks very much, Julie, delighted to be back here in Tasmania with you as one of our hard-working local Ministers. And thanks to everyone who's here today, there's a large crowd of people who've been involved in this project and will remain so, from TasPorts, Hazell Brady and of course the Australian Antarctic Division. So, thank you all for being here for what is an important signposting event about a big project that's of real importance to Tasmania and the whole country. What we all know is that Tasmanians are rightly proud of Tasmania's role at the centre of Australia's Antarctic program. Australia is a world leader when it comes to Antarctic research and science, and Tasmania is front and centre of that effort. And that's why the Albanese Government has been so proud to invest in our Antarctic program since coming to office in May 2022, including with this $188 million investment in an upgrade to Macquarie Wharf 6. We're doing this in partnership with the Tasmanian Government and I'm delighted to stand here today with Kerry Vincent representing the Tasmanian Government. The way this project is working is that the Albanese Government is contributing $188 million in capital funding for this upgrade, with the Tasmanian Government taking on the responsibility of operating and maintaining this new wharf for the next 30 years.

I've had the privilege of getting on board the RSV Nuyina and seeing for myself the world class facilities and scientific research capabilities of that vessel and the personnel that travel on it. And we know that in the RSV Nuyina we have a world class vessel, we want to make sure, as the Albanese Government, that we have a world class wharf to support that important research and science activity. You'd be aware that the Nuyina has just returned from its second voyage this season to Heard and McDonald Islands, again undertaking really important Antarctic science research that benefits the whole world, particularly as we see the climate changing and having an impact on those sorts of environments. So, this upgrade to the wharf will support the RSV Nuyina for decades to come to continue making sure that Tasmania and Australia lead the world when it comes to Antarctic research and science. I'll hand to Kerry Vincent to talk to you about this from the Tasmanian Government perspective, and we're all happy to take questions.

KERRY VINCENT, TASMANIAN MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORT: Thanks Murray. Very exciting to be here today about this whole development. This is a significant development for Hobart, for the AAD, and what will be the gateway into the Antarctic for many decades to come. It is also a very good point that it's Hazell Brady Joint Venture that would be building this project and that's significant because that will put over 100 people here on site building this development and that's especially good for Tasmanian companies to have that involvement. It's great for TasPorts to be involved the project of course, being all their facility, they've done a lot of work on the wharves around here and what needs to happen to make sure that this is still the gateway to the Antarctic for us. Their work will also flow on to other berths as we move around and get this one out of the way first and that's quite significant for the whole Hobart waterfront. It'll be employing Tasmanians and when you think about the stadium going ahead in the next few years, this will become an absolute hive of activity for economic development for Hobart and Tasmania. So we really do appreciate the Federal Government’s investment in Hobart and this project. Thank you.

JOURNALIST: So obviously up in the North West building a berth hasn’t been so simple. Is it going to be a bit more straightforward down here?

KERRY VINCENT: Very similar dynamics though, if you look at the situation at Burnie where we had a problem with the wharf, it was old infrastructure built over the top and decay underneath and syphoning of some of the old silt from underneath - had to do a lot of work to get that right. But obviously Devonport was a whole different scenario with the TT-Line, yes, everybody recognises mistakes that happen. But with really good people in place there now we're back on track with that project. And the work that has gone into this project and this whole wharf area, so it has TasPorts to understand what's underneath the geotech, and all the issues that has to be replaced. And now Hazell Brady coming in with their experience and knowledge of this, we believe this project will move timely - on budget and on time.

JOURNALIST: What does this project mean for the stadium? I understand the Federal Government’s funding to Macquarie Point is conditional on this project being completed.

KERRY VINCENT: Look, there's a lot of things that link together down here, and when you look at the overall project, it's quite amazing for development of such a big site. TasWater have been doing amazing work in cleaning up what has been being pumped out into the river in the past and setting that [inaudible]. That's an enormous project that many of you have seen over the last couple of years taking shape. The stadium is another part of it. The development of the wharf here for AAD is a big part of it also. And when you walk onto the site you can see a lot of the things that TasPorts do here as their normal part of their daily business. And it's a huge site with many different aspects of the economic development of Hobart based around this area. So there's been a lot of work done by all the partners in making sure that the jobs flow in a proper basis and we make sure that all parts of what we have to do for either this job, for ships coming in - the cruise ships, whether it's the stadium, whether it's the Northern Link road coming in, that they all flow in a proper way and they're done properly.

JOURNALIST: Is the State Government coming any closer to finding a way of refuelling the Nuyina at this berth?

KERRY VINCENT: There will be proposal going forward to the Federal Government next week and we’re working through with AAD regarding the solutions around that refuelling.

JOURNALIST: When do you expect to hear back from the Federal Government on that?

KERRY VINCENT: I think it's a subject we've been talking about for quite some time, so I would expect things to move pretty quickly once an understanding of some of the different methods and the costings involved.

JOURNALIST: Would that be fully state funded, Kerry, or would it need an injection from the Federal Government as well?

KERRY VINCENT: I haven't got all those details available to me at this stage.

JOURNALIST: Is the Federal Government willing to put in any extra money to make sure that this project gets delivered if it does happen to blow the budget?

MURRAY WATT: We don't think that there's a need for the budget to be blown out for this project. $188 million is a large capital investment from the Federal Government and we have every confidence that the State Government can deliver this project within that budget.

JOURNALIST: And are you willing to look at those refuelling options? And as Kerry mentioned, he’s written to the Federal Government about them.

MURRAY WATT: I think what Kerry said was that that proposal will be sent to us next week. So, we'll obviously have a close look at that when we receive it. There's been some very constructive negotiations going on for some time between the AAD representing the Federal Government and with State Government representatives. It was a condition of our funding that the Tasmanian Government provide a local refuelling solution. I think everyone understands that refuelling in Burnie is not an ideal option for a ship based here in Hobart, so we're looking forward to seeing that proposal when we receive it and we'll keep working with the Tasmanian Government.

JOURNALIST: Do you anticipate that there will be further federal funding needed for that refuelling?

MURRAY WATT: We haven't been made aware of that and as I say, a condition of the original commitment of $188 million was that the Tasmanian Government would provide that refuelling solution. I wouldn't have thought, therefore, that it's necessary for any further funding to be provided.

JOURNALIST: And do you think that this represents a significant step towards construction of the Macquarie Point Stadium?

MURRAY WATT: Yeah, as Minister Vincent has made clear, this entire redevelopment in some respects is connected. We're obviously making a very significant financial contribution to the stadium as well, just around the corner, as well as investing in this infrastructure here. And I'm sure Minister Collins could take you through the range of other investments that we're making in this state, because the Albanese Government believes in Tasmania. We were very successful here at the most recent federal election, winning four of Tasmania's five seats. Not to mention the excellent Tasmanian Senators who I should give a shoutout to as well. And we're committed to supporting Tasmania. When it comes to Antarctic funding we provided $1.7 billion in extra funding for the Antarctic program since we came to office, including the funding for this wharf redevelopment, and I think that shows you the level of commitment you see from our government to take Tasmania forward.

JOURNALIST: There was previously that public cost dispute between your predecessor and TasPorts over the costing, are you grateful and happy that that’s now been resolved?

MURRAY WATT: Look, whenever you're building a project of this magnitude, there's got to be negotiations between the various parties involved. But you can see that we've got a very productive and constructive relationship with the Tasmanian Government. From time to time, I talk to other ministers in the government and with the Premier as well. We’re always are focused on coming up with solutions to problems rather than just arguing, and this has been a good example of the productive work in that regard.

JOURNALIST: When will you make a decision on whether to uplist the maugean skate to ‘critically endangered.’

MURRAY WATT: Yeah, so the process there is that, as you would probably be aware, the maugean skate is currently listed as an ‘endangered species.’ There has been a nomination to reconsider that and consider it being listed as ‘critically endangered.’ I’m in the process of considering that matter now, and I expect it wouldn't be too much further before I'll have something to say about that. We always rely on the scientific advice that we receive about these issues. In this case, we have a Threatened Species Scientific Committee who independently provide scientific advice to the Minister - in this case me. I will take that advice very seriously, but in the meantime of course, we're making again a significant investment in the ongoing health of the maugean skate. We recognise as an endangered species, that's why we've provided, I think it's around $37 million in funding for oxygenation, for captive breeding. Our position as a Labor Government is that we want to maintain the jobs in the salmon industry, but we also want to make sure that it operates sustainably and that we protect Tasmania's pristine environment, and we think we can come up with a combination of activities that achieves that.

JOURNALIST: That process has been delayed because of concerns about the population surveys that have been conducted in Macquarie Harbour. Do you think that there's now enough accurate population data to be able to make a decision?

MURRAY WATT: Well, that's one of the things that I've got to consider as part of this process and the advice that I will be provided with will cover that. So, as I say, I'll be taking all of that into account.

JOURNALIST: How long do you expect the process to take?

MURRAY WATT: I don't think it'll be too much longer, from memory, there's a statutory deadline of early March that needs to be met and it would be my intention to meet that deadline.

JOURNALIST: What else are you doing during your time down here in the state? Are you going to visit some maugean skates that have been bred in captivity?

MURRAY WATT: This is a pretty quick trip. You might be aware we've just come out of one Parliament week and we've got another Parliament week next week, particularly for in my case, Senate estimates all week. So, I won't be able to spend a lot of time here this time. But I've previously been down to Strahan, I've been out on Macquarie Harbour - I actually did that when I was the Agriculture and Fisheries Minister. So, I feel like I'm reasonably familiar with the issues at hand here, not to mention the excellent advocacy that we've seen from our Tasmanian Labor caucus on these issues. Had a good chat with Kerry today and we'll probably have a bit more of a chat after this. I've caught up with the Opposition Leader Josh Willie this morning as well, just to talk about a range of other issues facing Tasmania. But you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be back here before long.

JOURNALIST: The Greens have backed changes to the capital gains tax discount meaning the government would have the numbers to pass changes. Do you agree there's momentum for change in this space?

JULIE COLLINS: What I would say is our government has been focused on supply when it comes to housing policy. We've got $43 billion that we're investing into supply. What all the experts tell us is that we haven’t built enough homes, and we haven’t built enough homes for a long time. So, all of our priorities are getting more supply on the ground and that’s what you’ve seen from our government.

JOURNALIST: Some experts say that the way to assist with that supply issue is to change the capital gains tax discount, so is that worth considering?

JULIE COLLINS: Our focus remains on supply; we want to get more homes on the ground more quickly and that's what our investments have all been about. That's what our policies are all about.

JOURNALIST: And why would making changes to the capital gains tax discount for investment properties be a good idea?

JULIE COLLINS: We’ve been focused on supply as a government. We know that we don't have enough homes in Australia, we know we need to get more homes on the ground quickly, and that's what our $43 billion investment has been investing in. When it comes to providing funding to state government, we've been investing when it comes to planning. We’ve been investing when it comes to getting more people into homes sooner with our first home owners schemes. And that’s what we have been doing.

JOURNALIST: Just on sand flathead, should the Tasmanian Government have acted sooner on closing that fishery to recreational fishers?

JULIE COLLINS: Obviously the Tasmanian Government is entirely responsible for managing its own waterways. As Federal Minister for Fisheries I am responsible for three nautical miles offshore, and that is my responsibility. In terms of the management of the Tasmanian waterways, that is a question for the Tasmanian State Government.

JOURNALIST: There's also a report in The Mercury today about over-tourism in Antarctica. Can you talk about the importance of balancing conservation with tourism?

JULIE COLLINS: Well, obviously Australia is a proud member of the Antarctic Treaty group and what we do through that treaty is to make sure that we have a leading voice, use the best available science about what is in the best interest of preserving what is unique about Antarctica. Certainly, as the Albanese Labor Government we want to maintain that treaty process and we want to make sure that we do everything we can to maintain the pristineness of Antarctica.