Truth Sunk: SeaLink and State Government
dive for cover over missing new ferry

By DANIEL CLARKE

23/04/26

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As the first of two new ferries sailed at sunrise through Backstairs Passage on its way to Port Adelaide earlier this month, it didn’t feel like a new dawn for Kangaroo Island residents. 

 

The arrival of Wanggami almost two years after SeaLink’s initial delivery date has been greeted by islanders with a recurrent solemnity rather than what should be a conclusive celebration. 

 

Given the record of events leading to this point and the black hole of information that has accompanied the status of the second new ferry Ruwi, there isn’t much reason to hope things will improve. 

 

Initially planned for 2024, the two new $57 million boats (costs believed to have blown out to over $80 million) were delayed to June last year before being shifted once more to mid-2026. 

 

It is now less than 40 days until the June 1 deadline that the company has been touting as the beginning of the new ferry operation, yet no official announcement has been made about another delay nor any details of Ruwi’s condition in its Indonesian shipyard.

 

Despite stating that the new timetable can only begin once both new ferries have been delivered and are in operation, SeaLink’s website still claims a June 1 start and continues to take bookings on the new times. 

 

The only utterance that contradicts this has been from the newly appointed Infrastructure and Transport Minister Joe Szakacs who earlier this month said the ferries “won’t be ready by June 2026”. 

 

The existence of Ruwi remains shrouded in commercial mystery and state-sponsored secrecy. When contacted by Island Independent to provide answers, SeaLink stated that the company is “bound” by the Kangaroo Island Ferry Service Deed that  stipulates “all communications that relate to the ferry service” must be approved by the State Government.

 

We put this directly to the government who refused to confirm or deny it, instead providing a statement from Minister Szakacs saying islanders "are rightly frustrated by the lack of clarity and certainty being provided by SeaLink" and that he has sought to verify information about any delay "to ensure the KI community is correctly advised of the exact timing of the transition to the new ferries”.

 

You read that right. The government and its contracted transport company responsible for providing a safe, reliable and affordable essential service to and from Kangaroo Island are blaming each other for not being honest with residents and businesses about the route's questionable future. Even after claiming he had demanded information from SeaLink over two weeks ago, the Minister is apparently still none the wiser as to when Ruwi will hit the water. How in the deep blue sea did we get here?

 

If you believe what we’re being told, nobody knows anything or can say anything so nobody can be blamed. Yet nobody wins with any of this. It’s inconceivable the company isn’t fully aware of the reasons for Ruwi’s delay, and it's unconscionable for an elected government to withhold that information from the public if in fact it has received it. 

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Whatever the truth, the last to know will be the people whom these officials are paid to serve.

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Clearly those steering the ship have entered damage control on the high seas. There appears an ocean between SeaLink’s management, the State Government and the inconvenient truth that engulfs us. The public relations machine has battened down the hatches and we’re in for a rough ride to deliverance from what can only be described as a first-class shambles. 

 

The situation is so absurd that it’s almost become a running joke on the island that every societal problem can be tracked back to SeaLink’s causation. The company has copped the brunt of criticism from islanders about its public silence but now management suggests that anger should be directed the government's way. Locals and tourists alike would just prefer they both owned the problem. 

 

Patience is running thin and the State Government has sensed it – but only after it retained the seat of Mawson in last month’s state election. 

 

Not once was SeaLink’s myriad of operational issues mentioned during the election campaign but within two weeks of the Labor win, Minister Szakacs suddenly decided SeaLink hadn’t given the government enough information. 

 

“To be pretty frank about this, I've been disappointed in the advice that we've been receiving from SeaLink, and I've made that clear and sought additional information," Szakacs told the ABC on 7 April. 

 

Interesting that it got to within two months of the promised start date for the government to be reminded it had an essential service to administer. It’s clearly not good enough from either entity and it's causing ruptures in a regional community that is already doing it tough from cost of living pressures and uncertainty within its primary industries. 

 

So much of the island’s tourism, farming and hospitality businesses rely on certainty and clear communication with the future of the ferry service. Not to mention every resident with medical, work and family appointments on the mainland. 

 

Fears for how long the aged and degraded Sealion 2000 and Spirit of Kangaroo Island ferries can keep running are growing by the day. Constant mechanical breakdowns have caused travel chaos and frustration. 

 

Complicating matters is the fact new vehicle loading ramps need to be installed at Cape Jervis and Penneshaw to accommodate the new ferries. Once that happens, the old ferries will no longer be capable of docking. Which makes Ruwi’s arrival all the more important in how and when the service gets under way.  

 

In a sign of what we have been reduced to in terms of public knowledge, the best piece of information has been gleaned by American River marine radio volunteer Carol Miell who says she spoke to the captain of Wanggami as it passed Kangaroo Island on 5 April. 

 

She stated on social media and confirmed via a call from Island Independent that the captain told her Ruwi would not arrive in Australia until 2027. 

 

This would be a disastrous development and raises further questions about whether SeaLink will attempt to run the old ferries until Ruwi’s delivery or revert operations to the one new ferry Wanggami. How one ferry would work during the busy summer period is anyone’s guess because – as SeaLink continue to claim – they are “bound” to silence. 

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Minister Szakacs told the Island Independent that SeaLink remains contractually obligated to commence the new service by 1 June and that the government would hold the company to account if it failed to meet its obligations. However, he would not elaborate about whether that involved a fine or other punishment.

 

"The Department (of Infrastructure and Transport) and SeaLink are working together to come to an agreement that best suits the island community," he said.

 

The Kangaroo Island Tourism Alliance said the “ongoing delay and lack of clear communication has been very frustrating” for its members, and that responsibility for keeping islanders informed sat with the State Government.

 

“The community and industry deserve more timely, transparent and practical updates,” said the Alliance’s Regional Tourism Manager Megan Harvie. “At present, the standard of communication has not met the expectations of the island, and that needs to improve urgently.

 

“In the short term, we are asking for honest timelines, regular progress updates, and clear advice that businesses and travellers can plan around with confidence. We have raised these concerns with the Minister for Tourism and the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, and the new Member for Mawson is also engaged in discussions. We are hopeful that further information will be provided shortly.”

 

Harvie said that it was important to acknowledge that SeaLink “appears to be working to do the right thing by the island”. 

 

“They are continuing to operate the existing vessels until the new ferries are ready, which is not ideal for them either. However, they are operating within a government-controlled contract environment, and that has clearly limited what can be communicated publicly.”

 

SeaLink’s patient but quite obviously flustered staff have already been forced to reschedule months of sailings when bookings were taken on the new timetable before last year's proposed start date. Presumably they’ll be asked to repeat the process and work through every booking from June 1 this year unless management decides to implement the new timetable whether the new ferries are in operation or not. 

 

In an interview with Island Independent last week, the newly elected Member for Mawson Jenni Mitton said she was “bitterly disappointed” with SeaLink’s failure to deliver the two new ferries by deadline.

 

“I think it's really disappointing that Sealink hasn't communicated about whether they can meet their commencement date of June 1,” Mitton said. “My understanding is that they can't but they haven't communicated this directly with me. Nor have they communicated a commencement date at all, which I think is really disappointing. 

 

“If there is a void of information then that just opens up for people to be feeling more concerned. And I think some reassurance for the community, for businesses, is really important at this time.”

 

It remains to be seen whether her government or SeaLink start being honest with the people they serve, otherwise the pain in their Backstairs Passage will continue to swell. To put it plainly with clear, timely and honest communication: islanders are tired of being shat on.