Tourism is a key industry for the Huon Valley and today Labor joined with Gary Ashdown, President of Far South Tourism Association, to discuss the need to urgently progress the Transformer project.
Transformer was promised for the region following the 2019 bushfires as an economic recovery project. Almost five years after those fires, the project is yet to commence and no timeline is available.
In the same week that the region learnt the Huon Valley Mid Winter Festival will be held for the last time in 2024, there is an urgent need to progress the Transformer project to make sure visitation to the region does not flatline.
The Huon region was originally promised this project would open for visitors in January 2022 but the project has stalled within the bureaucracy of the Liberal Government.
While there was considerable hold up at a council level by Greens affiliated councillors, the project was approved in May 2023 and is now squarely back in the State Government's hands.
Transformer will play a significant role in supporting the visitor economy in the Far South and operators are getting tired of waiting for a five year old promise to be delivered.
The government needs to get its priorities right. Stop blocking it and just build it.
Rebeca White MP
Tasmanian Labor Leader
Dean Winter MP
Labor Member for Franklin
