Peter Gutwein,Premier
While it's been a busy week with the handing down of the Federal Budget, the Tasmanian Liberal Government has also been working hard delivering on our plan to secure Tasmania's future and on the issues that matter to Tasmanians.
This week alone, we have delivered at least 17 key actions to improve the lives of Tasmanians in the key areas of health, housing, infrastructure, education, and helping our most vulnerable, right across the State.
These include:
* Launched free public transport across the state for five-weeks;
* Successfully lobbied the Federal Government to cut the fuel excise;
* Released more than 100 blocks of affordable land for housing;
* Progressed work on 51 new units for secure accommodation for young Tasmanians;
* Opened a family violence shelter in the state's south;
* Welcomed 11 new graduate dentists and therapists as part of our $5 million investment in dental appointments;
* Advanced the building of the new Beaconsfield Ambulance station;
* Released new Workplace Protection legislation for public comment;
* Progressed the $80 million Illawarra Road upgrade with a contract awarded for the first stage;
* Delivered on a $10.5 million upgrade at Devonport High School;
* Announced an additional $5 million investment in laptops, tablets and internet dongles for school students;
* Started work on the new $21 million Water and Energy Trades Centre of Excellence in Clarence;
* Delivered a new traffic-busting app;
* Launched the state's first two electric buses, alongside company Skybus;
* Supported our screen industry with three new projects to share in $45,000 of project development funding;
* Launched the $500,000 Tasmanian Space Technology Seed Fund to support eligible businesses in research and development projects in the space economy; and
* Launched a grants scheme to support landfill and resource recovery operators, like local councils, have appropriate facilities to collect waste data.
Quotes attributable to the Premier, Peter Gutwein:
"The Tasmanian Liberal Government continues to invest and deliver the things Tasmanians care about as we implement the strong plan we took to the election to secure Tasmania's future," the Premier said.
"This week alone, we have delivered at least 17 actions to improve the lives of Tasmanians in the key areas of health, housing, infrastructure, education, and helping our most vulnerable, right across the State.
"We have already taken strong action to increase supply of social and affordable housing in recent years, and this has continued this week with lots in two new subdivisions released for sale in the North West, and lots at a third subdivision in Wynyard to be released in coming weeks.
"The lots will be prioritised for affordable housing, and under our HomeShare program, will allow some to be purchased with a deposit as low as $3750 – giving more people the chance to buy their own home and ease pressure on the social housing waiting list.
"Additionally, tenders have been advertised for construction of a new Youth2Independence (Y2I) facility in Burnie, which will provide 25 independent single-bedroom units, staff accommodation, and communal and associated facilities.
"Work is already underway on a second Y2I facility in Hobart, which will provide 26 units next to the TasTAFE campus in Campbell St, helping more young Tasmanians build their lives through secure accommodation.
"We are also delivering more housing for women and children escaping family violence, with a new three-bedroom property completed at Jireh House in the State's south.
"This will allow women and their children to access care and support when they need it most, providing safe and secure accommodation, support services, and assistance.
"In health, our commitment to reduce the oral health waiting list and provide an additional 20,000 dental appointments statewide is well underway, with 11 new graduate dentists and therapists recently employed to assist these efforts.
"This forms part of our $5 million investment to reduce the dental waiting list and will ensure that Tasmanians waiting for dental care can access it sooner, improving oral health right across the State.
"The construction of the new Beaconsfield Ambulance Station is being delivered, with a Request for Tender released for the project that will replace the existing site and provide better healthcare services for the region.
"Our Workplace Protection legislation has also been released for another round of public consultation to ensure Tasmanians can go to work or operate a business free from threats and disruption, while also maintaining every Tasmanian's right to protest lawfully.
"We are also delivering the infrastructure our State needs, with a contract awarded for the first stage of the $80 million Illawarra Road upgrade, and to help commuters avoid congestion and get where they're going sooner, we have launched a new smartphone app that will provide real-time information about traffic conditions on key commuter routes.
"We also launched the first two fully-electric passenger buses in Tasmania, alongside Skybus, which is owned by company Kinetic. These will service the daily passenger route between Hobart and the Hobart Airport.
"And in education, we are delivering the resources, infrastructure and opportunities our students expect and deserve.
"Today we announced the delivery of our $10.5 million project at Devonport High School, which has supported more than 120 jobs during construction and helped upgrade facilities including a new drama space with retractable seating.
"On Wednesday, we announced an additional $5 million investment to bolster the pool of devices such as laptops, tables, and internet dongles, in our public schools, ensuring families who are unable to provide this technology can continue to support their child's learning at home.
"We also began construction on the $21 million Water and Energy Trades Centre of Excellence in Clarence, which will allow TasTAFE to increase its training capacity and provide job-seekers with the skills they need for the future.
"And importantly, cost of living will be eased for Tasmanian households with the fuel excise to be halved in the Federal Budget.
"This follows our strong advocacy on this issue to the Federal Government in recent weeks, and will provide much-needed relief for Tasmanian motorists.
"Other important actions we have delivered this week includes:
*the launch of a grants scheme to support landfill and resource recovery operators, like local councils, have appropriate facilities to collect data on the amount and types of waste being disposed;
*supporting our screen industry with three new projects to share in $45,000 of project development funding; and
*launched the $500,000 Tasmanian Space Technology Seed Fund to support eligible businesses in research and development projects in the space economy.
"These key actions have been delivered while we continue to transition to living with COVID-19. Tasmania is in a good place, with our economy strong, and our tourism sector bouncing back, with positive growth in the average spend per domestic visitor.
"We will continue to deliver our plan to grow our economy and jobs, and ensure Tasmania remains the best place in the country to live, work, and raise a family as we secure Tasmania's future."
