Icons of Sydney look set to return with the incoming transport minister saying she will continue to push for as many Freshwater ferries as possible to sail in the city's harbour.
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Newly minted Transport Minister Jo Haylen is working to finalise permanent timetables for the ferries to service across the city.
It comes after Labor repeatedly attacked the Perrottet government throughout the election campaign for investing in foreign-made transport infrastructure, as overseas-built ferries suffered a series of faults.
"I have received an initial brief on the state of our ferry fleet today," Ms Haylen told AAP.
"It is clear the former Liberal government has left behind serious procurement failures and other issues with our ferry network.
"The Minns Labor government stands by our election commitments to deliver a reliable Manly ferry service, and we will now start the work to fix the many issues facing our ferry system."
Three second generation Emerald-class ferries serving the Manly-city route were temporarily decommissioned last year, after one had a near miss with cruise ship Coral Princess after a steering fault.
The Office of Transport Safety Investigations said at the time it had received 19 safety reports since the Chinese-built ferries were launched in 2019, including 10 over steering defects.
Another of the ferries suffered a catastrophic engine failure last month, and will be out of service for several weeks.
In August, the former government announced the Circular Quay-Manly route would be boosted with extra Freshwater ferry services, operating on weekdays over the summer period.
"As we head into the warmer months the demand for services increases, and the re-introduction of the Freshwaters gives tourists, ferry enthusiasts and commuters additional travel options between Manly and the city," former Transport Minister David Elliott said at the time.
When the announcement was made, Ms Haylen called it an admission of failure from the government.
"The overseas-built Emerald class 2 ferries just can't deliver," she said.
"They run into trouble when the swell is high and are plagued by serious maintenance issues."
Australian Associated Press
