Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Acting Deputy President Bilyk, it's nice to see you here. There's a lot to love about Bass Strait. We Tasmanians don't mind having a moat around us to keep you mainlanders at bay. There's one thing we don't love about it, though: how much it costs to send our products to other states. No-one else has to chuck their products on a boat to sell them across Australia, but we do, and the cost is breaking us. Between port fees, the cost of labour and the warehousing, we're paying way more to sell our stuff to the rest of the country than you mainlanders are.

Tasmanian businesses who make things in Tasmania are being taxed for choosing to makes things in our state, and that is so unfair. Our Tassie beer makers reckon that to ship a carton of beer made in our state they pay four bucks more than they would if it was made in Melbourne or Sydney. That is disgraceful.

The federal government is meant to make sure Bass Strait doesn't put Tasmanian businesses at a disadvantage. That's why we have the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme. The problem is that the government hasn't kept up with the shipping costs. You are miles behind. You've let is go wayside. Tasmanian businesses are now paying 45 per cent more than they did 10 years ago on their products going across the water. The difference means the government are paying them tens of millions of dollars less than they should be. They're ripping Tasmanians off. They've left it to Tassie businesses to cover the gap, and those businesses are going down the gurgler.

Everyone says we should be supporting Tasmanian manufacturing, but from the Liberals it's just talk, talk, talk. In truth, we're making it harder for people to set up shop and stay in their own state. That's why I've fought so hard to get an extra $200 million for the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme. Now we need to go further. Tasmanian farmers and manufacturers should not be sent into a fight with one hand behind their back. If the Liberal and Labor politicians really gave a stuff about Tasmanian jobs, they'd get on board with this. I say to those opposite: you need to! It's not an option. Tasmanian businesses deserve to be on an equal footing with every other business around Australia. They don't deserve to be left behind. Put them in a fair fight for customers, because, believe me, they'll win. (Time expired)