Senate debates

Monday, 15 March 2021

Matters of Public Importance

COVID-19: Tourism

6:08 pm

Photo of Carol BrownCarol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the impact that the removal of JobKeeper will have on the tourism sector and the wider economy, particularly in my home state of Tasmania. But I won't let an opportunity go by to comment just quickly on Senator Henderson's contribution. I really have to wonder whether Senator Henderson has got over the fact that the people of Corangamite just prefer Ms Coker. They chose Ms Coker to represent them. And I really think there was a reason for that: because Ms Coker is an extraordinary local member—hardworking, passionate and committed to her electorate.

One of the things that has been said in this debate is around the areas that have been selected. Anyone, if they were fair dinkum, would say that the announcement of this initiative was a failure. It's amazing to me that government members and senators come up and try to spin the fact that extra areas, extra cities and extra towns have been added because they made a case. We know that's not correct. We know that there was a list put out there—accidentally, presumably—and then, suddenly, the official list was reduced by three cities, which included Hobart in my home state of Tasmania. Come on! You've got to wonder.

This government has mucked up so much. They have failed in so many ways in terms of initiatives and funding and grants that don't reach where they're supposed to be reaching. They don't reach the communities they're supposed to be reaching. They don't reach the people they're supposed to be reaching. This announcement is no different. The government are saying to the Australian people 24 hours later, 'Oh, we've had representations and we're going to add Adelaide and Darwin', and then, three days later, after the original announcement, 'We're going to add Hobart.' It is nothing to do with people jumping up and down, the tourism industry jumping up and down or the Labor politicians in Tasmania jumping up and down, saying, 'Why isn't Hobart on there?'

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