PRIME MINISTER:
It’s great to be here in Sorell and Mr Mayor thank you so much for making us welcome here at the Council Chambers – it’s good to be together again.
Premier Will Hodgman, Treasurers Joe Hockey and Peter Gutwein, Dale Elphinstone, Chair, it’s really good to be here to review the progress and to consider what might best now be done.
I’m really excited about the fact that jobs are now growing strongly in Tasmania; the fact that confidence has strongly returned to Tasmania; the fact that the Commonwealth and the State are working together very well on projects which are going to be good for growth and jobs here in Tasmania.
The new irrigation schemes, the infrastructure build, the support for the Freight Equalisation extension beyond the mainland to the wider world.
These are all important initiatives that are the product of this Joint Tasmania Commonwealth Economic Council and I think the people of Tasmania can be very pleased with the work we’ve done for them so far.
PREMIER HODGMAN:
PM, can I thank you and the Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey for again coming to Tasmania to contribute to our combined efforts and to thank the industry representatives for their contribution to what I think is already shown to be a successful method by which we can deliver good outcomes for Tasmanians and the State is very pleased to also be able to participate and contribute in these discussions in alignment with our industry needs and expectations.
I am the envy of other state premiers because I think it’s a very unusual circumstance for us to have access to our nation’s Prime Minister, Federal Treasurer and Infrastructure Minister Ian Macfarlane in such a positive and constructive but engaging forum such as this.
So, we do want to thank you very much for the ongoing effort.
I think it is important to recognise that since the election of the Abbott Government there has been significant economic uplift and dare I say it, since the election of a majority government in Tasmania effort has not only been enhanced but has seen very positive outcomes for the State.
And the job for us is to work in collaboration and to continue to find those areas in which we can work together. But this is not, insofar as the State’s concerned, just an opportunity for us to say to the Federal Government that we want more money or we expect you to do more because we’re very much committed to doing our share of the heavy lifting and I think the efforts we’ve made as a government to improve our budget, to implement policies that are stimulating local economic activity and creating more jobs and working very closely in partnership with industry and other key partners like the university have added fuel to what is a very significant growth in economic performance, jobs and also business confidence in Tasmania.
So, thank you all for you contribution.
[ends]