Guy Barnett,Minister for Primary Industries and Water
Congratulations to Andrew Kneebone, on his appointment to the position of Chief Executive Officer for Tasmanian Irrigation.
The Hodgman Liberal Government continues to deliver on the State's most comprehensive plan to turbo-charge Tasmanian agriculture and create jobs in regional communities through irrigation development.
Mr Kneebone is well regarded in the Tasmanian farming and agricultural sectors having previously been Tasmanian Irrigation's General Manager Water Delivery and Infrastructure, and has been acting in the CEO role since late November 2018.
Mr Kneebone's broad expertise in urban water, electricity and irrigation sectors will further complement the skills within Tasmanian Irrigation and we look forward to his valuable contribution.
Following the recent announcement by the Morrison Liberal Government of $100 million for Tranche 3 Pipeline to Prosperity projects, on top of the $70 million already committed by the Tasmanian Government, Mr Kneebone's appointment is timely.
Water is liquid gold and Tasmanian Irrigation's leadership role will continue the transformation of Tasmanian agriculture, creating jobs and expanding farm production to meet the growing demand for Tasmania's premium produce.
Pipeline to Prosperity will be the third tranche of irrigation schemes developed in Tasmania by State and Federal Governments in partnership with farmers.
Irrigation development is a key plank of the Hodgman Liberal Government's AgriFood Plan and to meet our target to grow the farm gate value of our agricultural sector to $10 billion per annum by 2050.
When fully implemented, Pipeline to Prosperity will deliver 10 proposed irrigation schemes which will provide an additional 78,000 megalitres of water creating thousands of jobs and return an estimated $114 million each year to the agriculture sector, and our economy more broadly.
