Senate debates

Wednesday, 17 June 2020

Adjournment

Tasmania: Economy

7:22 pm

Photo of Claire ChandlerClaire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

The easing of coronavirus restrictions has led to a renewed sense of optimism for our country, for businesses to resume trading, for workers to return to work and for Australians to enjoy their lives. The latest round of relaxed restrictions means we can get back to restaurants and pubs, which is not only a great reward for the vast majority who have followed the rules but also fantastic for those businesses to be able to reopen and start getting back to business.

In Tasmania, travel restrictions within our state were lifted in time for the Queen's Birthday long weekend, and many people took the chance to visit friends and family in different regions or to go to the shack. This is welcome news for Tasmanian businesses across the state, particularly in the tourism and hospitality industries, who just two months ago were staring down the barrel of potentially six months without any trade at all. I want to commend the Tasmanian business community tonight. They deserve so much credit for the sacrifice they've made in diligently playing their part to prevent the spread of this infectious disease.

We all recognise that recovery for our economy, jobs market and business sector is going to take a massive combined effort. That's why over the last six weeks I have been busy engaging with local councils, business leaders and Tasmanians on how they think we can get Tasmania back in business. Tasmania needs its leaders and elected representatives to help develop a clear plan to assist businesses in the recovery process, encourage new developments and create new jobs for Tasmanians. I have received incredibly valuable feedback from Tasmanians who have provided me with their thoughts and ideas on how we can work together to recover and expand the state's economic prospects. For example, Tasmania's agriculture industry is a major contributor to our economy and something that we're extremely proud of in our state. This industry will play a major role in recovery, with the potential to increase production and seek new market opportunities for our produce. Further investment in the state's irrigation infrastructure will assist with the growth of this important industry, create jobs and meet the nation's demand for fresh produce.

The federal government's record on investing in water infrastructure projects in Tasmania speaks for itself, with the Australian and Tasmanian Liberal governments jointly investing $170 million to deliver the next tranche of new irrigation schemes. With the Morrison government last year creating the National Water Grid Authority, there is also a great opportunity to leverage that authority's expertise not only to pursue further irrigation investment but also to droughtproof the east coast of Tasmania, which suffered through record dry conditions last year. I look forward to pursuing that opportunity with state and federal colleagues.

For many Tasmanians this crisis has also highlighted our nation's reliance on imported products. The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare just how dependent we are as a nation on foreign markets. International trade and forging strong relations with other nations is extremely important for Australia as a member of the global community, but that doesn't mean we should shy away from opportunities to make or grow things we may not have previously produced. What's more, economic threats made by Beijing in response to Australia's push for an independent inquiry into coronavirus have highlighted our need to diversify markets and address our overdependence on China. These are all things we need to consider as we continue to forge ahead with recovery efforts. Tasmania also must be open to development in infrastructure opportunities, both large and small. Of course, projects must be sensible and appropriate. But it's clear that, if we are to bounce back strongly, we can't afford to be seen by the investment community as an antidevelopment state.

The announcement earlier this week that Project Marinus, the proposed second interconnector across Bass Strait, has been identified as one of the 15 major projects the Morrison coalition government has given priority status to is a welcome development. This project would enable another generation of hydroelectricity development in our state, as well as other renewable energy projects, providing a huge economic and job creation boost for Tasmania. Project Marinus and the Battery of the Nation initiative to grow Tasmania's renewable energy capacity will inject over $7 billion into the Tasmanian economy and create thousands of jobs to support Tasmania's renewable energy sector.

We need to keep development ideas coming forward in Tasmania so that the private sector can invest with confidence and create jobs for Tasmanians. I will continue, over the coming weeks and months, to seek those ideas and work hard to get Tasmania back in business.