Anne Urquhart (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Through the RPPP funding, the Albanese Labor government will deliver $9.6 million for the Artisan Precinct Initiative, a social enterprise hub in Braddon. In Wynyard on Tasmania's north-west coast, the Artisan precinct will deliver social enterprises and workplace training programs for the local community, particularly disengaged youth. It will provide a critical link between education providers, disability services and local employers to shift intergenerational unemployment by backing local innovation. Designed in collaboration with the community, the project will include the building and fit-out of infrastructure, including six workshops, a First Nations workshop, a commercial greenhouse, an artisan hub, a precinct caretaker residence and sustainability infrastructure. When I met with the proponents to tell them their application was successful, they were overwhelmed. Tears were nearly shed. That's how much this project means to them and to the Braddon community more broadly.

The proponent, Big hART, was born on the north-west coast of Tassie and is now a leading, nationwide arts and social change organisation. They've been working with the Braddon community for 35 years, including close involvement with local high schools. Big hART was motivated to find new ways of dealing with disadvantage following the closure of the Burnie pulp mill. Those job losses had a huge effect on the local community at the time. Big hART are focused on designing and delivering transformative projects which address complex social issues. They aim to drive generational change.

Braddon has long been a hub for creatives, and this project continues our strong industrial heritage. There are already multiple enterprises operating on the site. The Artisan precinct will have the capacity to house up to 10 businesses, where they will be supported until they can operate viably and independently. Once these businesses are self-sustaining, they will move on, creating space for new ones. In exchange, the enterprises will work with Big hART to provide innovative pathways for disengaged locals and young people.

The new development will enable Big hART to increase their capacity in the community. They've already seen huge growth in the number of participants that they support, just over the last 12 months. They are currently at capacity, meaning the new precinct will enable growth into the future and cement their status as a trusted social change organisation in Braddon.

For a regional community such as Wynyard, this investment will be invaluable for local disengaged youth and those who may struggle in traditional education and employment pathways. For disengaged people, the space will offer increased work and learning opportunities and will provide avenues into trades and connections with local employers. I've heard from local high-school kids who tell me they would rather go to Big hART and work with their hands than go to school any day.

For business owners, the creative hub will value our lost trades, such as carpentry, stonemasonry, stained glass and ceramics. One participant in Big hART's program is Logan, who lost his sight when he was midway through his apprenticeship as a carpenter. He used to have to travel to Hobart and Launceston to continue his woodworking through programs for the blind and visually impaired. However, now he can use Big hART's facilities just five minutes down the road from his home. He's excited about the new hub, saying it will be 'worth its weight in gold'.

First Nations culture will be at the centre of this precinct, with a First Nations cultural centre and workshop designed for First Nations knowledge, cultural practice and enterprise incubation.

Through the Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program, the Albanese Labor government is investing in transformative projects in regional, rural and remote Australia based on the principles of unifying regional places, growing economies and serving communities.

During the announcement, when I was there the other day, we had quite a large group, including the mayor and other participants from around the community. They were blown away by the concept of what this organisation is going to be able to provide, particularly to young people and also to those who have now become disengaged not only from their school but also from life. It was really great to catch up with many of those who came along to listen to the great news, and they're really excited about what the future brings. I'm so proud of this long-term project, its focus on creative industries and what it will mean for the future generations in Braddon, keeping them engaged in our communities, away from the judicial system, and giving them a focus in life that they wouldn't have had without this project.

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