Tasmanian tourism operators still waiting on Spirit fund grant decisions

Tourism businesses across Tasmania are still waiting to find out whether they’ve been successful in securing grants from the state government’s $3 million Spirit Preparedness Fund – months after applications closed.

The fund was designed to help businesses get ready for the arrival of the new Spirit of Tasmania vessels by creating or improving visitor experiences.

Applications closed on May 20, with the program guidelines stating successful applicants would be notified by December 1.

But Labor leader Josh Willie says the ongoing silence is unacceptable.

“No updates, no transparency and no certainty about when operators will see a dollar of this promised support,” he said.

Shadow tourism minister Anita Dow said operators deserved clear timelines on when applications would be assessed, when notifications would go out and when funds would start flowing.

“This fund is really important. It was announced quite a long while ago. It was launched in March, it was closed in May and we’ve heard nothing since,” she said.

“And despite the Liberal’s lethargy when it comes to the Spirit of Tasmania project, there’s a sense of urgency about this funding and this grants program.”

Tourism Minister Jane Howlett said the program was still on schedule.

“The grants fund guidelines explicitly state that applicants can expect to be notified in December. That hasn’t changed,” she said.

“The independent assessment panel is working through the applications received and the government will deliver the program, as per the guidelines.”

The fund offers grants of between $50,000 and $250,000 to eligible businesses, which must match the amount with their own cash contribution.

An independent panel of three industry experts is assessing applications before making recommendations to the minister for final approval.

The guidelines note that December is “an estimated date and is subject to change depending on how many applications are received” and that the process “may take up to six months”.

Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania CEO Amy Hills said the funding will go towards making sure operators are adequately prepared.

“[That means] ensuring that our destinations have enough parking, that we have enough products and experiences that we really export to the market that will be coming on the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries,” she said.

The Spirit Preparedness Fund is part of a broader $27.8 million tourism support package announced by the government in response to delays with the new Spirit vessels.

The package includes fare subsidies, aviation funding, voucher programs and marketing campaigns.

Labor estimates the delays to the Spirit of Tasmania project are costing the state’s economy about $500 million a year in lost activity.