Image: Transport for NSW website.
Two ferry wharves near the entrance to Sydney’s Botany Bay are set to open within the next six months. The problem is, no ferry services have been announced.
A Transport for NSW spokesperson said the wharves will be open for “community and visitor use later this year” but that “the most appropriate ferry operating model and party has not been determined.”
Named the “Kamay Ferry Wharves”, which will see a water connection between La Perouse and Kurnell, the two piers were originally forecast to cost taxpayers $18 million. That price tag then skyrocketed to $78 million.
A spokesperson for Transport Minister Jo Haylen said, “This is one of many projects mismanaged by the former Liberal Government”, and one that “never included the planning or commissioning of a ferry service.”
Within weeks of winning the 2023 election, the spokesperson said the minister was informed that costs had blown out again, this time by another $13 million to take the total project cost from $65 million to $78 million.
The Minns government decided to complete the wharves anyway, because the cost to taxpayers would have been an estimated $46 million, impacting roughly 162 jobs.
However, it could be years before the government calls for expressions of interest to find a ferry operator, and if a private operator was chosen without government subsidy, the service could close within months.
Graeme Taylor from Action for Public Transport told City Hub that the fare level and fare structure could become critical issues, “particularly if the government simply outsources operation of the ferries to a private company.”
“If there’s no subsidy, I think that many potential passengers will be dissuaded,” he said.
So much more thought needs to go into it, he continued.
There’s been no detailed study about the feasibility of commuter and tourist markets, despite the high price tag of the two wharves.
This information should be published, said Mr Taylor, and the government should be transparent about that information.
“In the meantime, these wharves will be complete later this year. And there’s no indication yet the government’s working hard and consulting with key stakeholder groups to try and understand the market potential for the service.”
Transport for NSW said it was continuing to work on the wharves’ facilities, which would include berthing facilities for commercial and recreational vessels up to 20 metres, safe areas for fishing, gathering places with seating and shade to learn about stories of Country, and an area to take in the local sights.
