Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I commend the Bureau of Meteorology Report for 2007-08 to the Senate. In particular I would like to refer to the good work of the Bureau of Meteorology in Tasmania. The report relates to the year 2007-08, but it was in fact on 19 February 2004 that the Howard government boosted meteorology services at Launceston airport. It maintained existing staff and announced a new weather shop in the Launceston transit centre. That weather shop is still there. But, some four years after that date—in fact, on 19 February 2008—that weather shop and its future came under attack from the Rudd Labor government. There was a threat to close the weather bureau shop in Launceston, which was revealed on that day in Senate committee hearings in the federal parliament. That threat was offensive to the people of northern Tasmania and the people of Launceston, especially the farmers, the fishermen and other rural residents who depend on that service.

That threat of closure, which was highlighted in the Senate, was undercover, it was covert, because of efforts by the Rudd Labor government to make cutbacks at the time. It came on top of the decision to reverse the extra 150 jobs that former Prime Minister John Howard had announced for the Launceston Centrelink call centre. Those jobs were lost to Launceston as a result of the inaction of the federal Labor member for Bass, Jodie Campbell, at the time. What we need in Bass is somebody who is prepared to stand up for their local community and to make a difference, even when it may be a tough decision. The future of the weather shop certainly came into doubt.

I asked some questions in the Senate in October last year, and I have received answers to those questions. I asked questions about the current staffing levels, about the service levels of the Launceston weather shop, and whether there were any current plans or proposals to alter the services provided by the Launceston weather shop or the staff levels. The government did confirm that the Launceston weather shop:

… provides operational interpretation of the forecasts provided by the Regional Forecasting Centre in Hobart, for the Launceston and northern Tasmania area via electronic media (routine radio broadcasts); via telephone; and via face to face briefings …

The weather shop also:

… provides Public Education services to Launceston and northern Tasmania, in general, in the form of talks, lectures, and hosting visits to the LWS …

The Launceston weather shop is very important. I commend and thank Brendan McMahon, who is the sole staff member of the Launceston weather shop. We appreciate his service and what he does. The government has confirmed in writing: ‘There are no plans to move the current occupant of the position from the Launceston office.’ That is good news. We do know it is currently staffed by one person. Initially there were two; it has been cut back.

I know that Senator Macdonald likewise is concerned for the weather shops and the Bureau of Meteorology services in Queensland. He earlier today highlighted that there have been cuts in Townsville and staff cuts in Cairns, that Mount Isa services now have only one person operating and that services in Rockhampton have been cut back. So you can see that future services of the weather shop in Launceston may be in doubt. We have it on the record that there ‘are no plans’. Does that mean that there are no current plans, and that they will change their mind in the days and months ahead?

The Tasmanian Liberal Senate team will stand firm and fight for that weather shop. It was established under the Howard Liberal government. It was established because the community wanted it and supported it—and it still does. We want a member in Bass who is prepared to stand up and say no to decisions like that, when the weather shop could be axed. We will fight tooth and nail to keep that weather shop open in Launceston. It is appreciated. It is an important service. And I call on the current federal member to be prepared to stand up and say no when the axe is threatened with respect to that fantastic service. So, on behalf of the people of northern Tasmania, I say we want to keep that weather shop and we call on the government to make the commitment that those services will remain.