Eric Hutchinson (Lyons, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Prime Minister Tony Abbott visited my Tasmanian electorate of Lyons a couple of weeks ago. Northern Tasmanian furniture maker Mark Turner is a fine example of a small business owner in Lyons prepared to have a go and produce quality goods. Mark introduced Mr Abbott to his wife, Vicki; his sister Helen, who runs the office at Turners Blackwood Furniture at Western Junction; and his skilled team of tradesmen and apprentices. The second-generation furniture maker runs an old-style workshop where apprentices get the best training on the job, assigned one-on-one to a master tradesman.

Mr Abbott was perhaps the first prime minister since Joseph Lyons to visit Tunbridge, meeting farmers Richard and Emily Gardner, who are making significant investments in dairy off the back of the Midlands irrigation scheme. Seven hundred and fifty cows are now being milked on land that has been traditional dryland grazing country. Nine new jobs have been created directly on the farm, along with others in service industries, transport and processing.

My thanks also to Michael, Carina and Precious Bock, and to Joel Hazelwood, Peter Johansen, Craig Roberts, Jaydon Crawford and Emily Pennicott.

Many other farmers will be closely watching this new business and I believe will be motivated to also diversify into dairy production to help fix the shortfall that exists between the milk production and processing capabilities in Tasmania.

I thank the Prime Minister for taking time to visit my electorate to see the jobs and economic activity being created off the back of such investment. Lyons, after many years of being ignored and taken for granted as a safe Labor seat, at last is back on the radar.