Premier Peter Gutwein has failed to put Tasmanian jobs first by missing an opportunity to overhaul the essential workers process.
Labor Leader Rebecca White said changes to the process announced today are acknowledgement by government that the process has not been as robust as it should be, but do not go far enough.
"Peter Gutwein has now brought in the Department of State Growth to add another layer of review in the assessment of applications.
"But there's still no guarantee that people are not flying in to the state to do jobs that could be done by Tasmanians.
"The Premier has also dismissed calls to test every worker coming into Tasmania to make sure they are COVID free.
The Tasmanian community expects the Government to do everything it can to make sure Tasmanian workers get first opportunity for work, especially after nearly 20,000 people have lost their jobs.
"The Premier of Tasmania should be standing up for Tasmanian jobs, and standing up for public health. That means overseeing a process that means nobody enters the state on a quarantine exemption unless they are genuinely an essential worker and they have a test to prove they aren't COVID positive."
Rebecca White
Labor Leader
