Council listens to ferry submissions

Gosford Council heard arguments from the public, at its February 27 meeting, in favour and against granting Fast Ships a 12-month extension of the deadline to meet council conditions

Ettalong Dunecare convenor Mr Michael Gillian spoke against the proposed extension, and in favour of an upgrade of the Ferry Rd wharf at Ettalong.

"(Fast Ships) have no vessel, no financial backing, and it is impossible to have adequate birthing arrangements without knowledge of a vessel," Mr Gillian said.

Mr Gillian said he calculated that the daily return fare for the proposed ferry would be $50 a day.

"A commuter fast ferry service is not financially viable," Mr Gillian said.

"At $50 a day I don't see there will be a lot of figures putting their hands up for this service."

Mr Gillian said that council had "no excuse" for assuming a ferry service to Sydney could not happen in a "far more realistic and financially viable way" suggesting an upgrade of the wharf at Ferry Rd, Ettalong Beach.

Independent Fast Ships consultant Mr Graham Inchly spoke in favour of an extension, and rejected the high fare claim.

Mr Inchly said he had been an independent consultant to Fast Ships for capital research and business plans for the past five years.

"There has been a great deal of progress over past five years over refining our business model and finding people interested in providing capital," Mr Inchly said.

"The fact is that Fast Ships Ltd would not continue on this process if the shareholders did not believe that there was a good chance that this project would attract funding.

"The reality is that Fast Ships Ltd shareholders believe that this is a viable project and that the market is there both in commuters and tourists support the project."

Cr Jim Macfadyen questioned Mr Inchly over the estimated $50 return ticket price.

Mr Inchly stated that the fare modelling was complex and dealt with different passenger classes such as tourist, commuters, concession and the elderly.

He refuted the fact that a commuter would be asked to pay "anything like that" and said the fair structure would be "attractive to all parts of the market".

Mr Inchly also noted that the fare structure's financial model stood on the assumption that there would be no subsidy available from the government, which Cr Robert Bell suggested may be possible from the Department of Transport if it were for transporting commuters.

Mr Inchly said that in an enterprise "of this nature" there were a number of funds available for supporting the enterprise including government grants for marketing, among other things.

Lyle Stone, 27 Feb 2007 Press release, 27 Feb 2007 Marion Newall, Gosford Council Council agenda COR.16, 27 Feb 2007