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I acknowledge the First Australians on whose land we meet, and whose cultures we celebrate as among the oldest continuing cultures in human history.
It's an honour to join you today as the people of this great state prepare to make their choice for Tasmania's future and I'm delighted to be here to introduce my friend, the Premier of Tasmania, David Bartlett.
David has brought to the office of Premier a fresh vision for building a strong Tasmania: for the jobs and industries of the future; for supporting every Tasmanian child to achieve their full potential; for quality health care for all.
Friends, these are the right priorities for a stronger Tasmania, and that's why David Bartlett deserves to win on 20 March.
Friends, Tasmania today is a different state to what it was in the '80s and '90s.
There's a sense of self-assurance; a sense of direction; new job; new opportunities; a confidence that Tasmania's best days lie ahead.
Just think of the change Tasmania has achieved.
Before Labor came to office in 1998, Tasmania had the highest unemployment anywhere in Australia. The unemployment rate was 10.6 per cent, compared to an average of 7.8 per cent nationwide.
Today, things are different. Tasmania's unemployment rate is just 5.2 per cent and it's below the nation's average.
The number of jobs has grown by almost 20 per cent. The population has reached 500,000 - and growing.
Tasmania's economic growth rate in the last financial year was the second highest in the nation - and for the first time in history, a Tasmanian is captaining the Australian cricket team. And Ricky Ponting has led Australia to more test victories than any other skipper as well being one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the game.
Tasmanians are right to be proud of the achievements of the past 12 years, but this is no time to look backwards - and David is not looking backwards. He's looking ahead: to future challenges; to building a stronger Tasmania; a Tasmania ready for the future with new jobs, better services and greater opportunities for a new generation of Tasmanians.
Friends, I'm proud to have worked together with David since he became Premier almost two years ago: investing in Tasmania's education revolution; improving hospitals and health care for communities across the state; putting Tasmania first in the nation with the National Broadband Network.
Just look at our record, working together.
Together, we took early and decisive action to protect working families from the impact of the global economic recession. The Australian Government's Nation Building Economic Stimulus plan contained a $1.4 billion stimulus to the Tasmanian economy and we've worked hand-in-hand with David's government to deliver the stimulus plan.
Its results are palpable. As the Treasury and the Reserve Bank of Australia have said, it was the Australian Government's stimulus plan that kept our economy from falling into recession last year. Thousands of families across Tasmania have been saved from losing their jobs; saved from the distress of not meeting the mortgage payments; saved from the anxiety about being able to pay for essentials like school uniforms, car insurance and electricity bills; and saved from the uncertainty of searching for work in a climate where around the world, unemployment has been soaring.
We took action, we made a difference and we saved thousands of jobs. We did it because we're Labor. We stand up for working families. When times get tough, we're determined to do all we can to keep Tasmanians in work, just as we're determined to give every child the best opportunities for the future and to provide for those who cannot work - the sick, the elderly, those with disabilities - with quality care and support, and that includes the 85,000 Tasmanian pensioners who benefited from our $35 per week increase in the single age pension, and the $15 increase for couples.
Today, the government of Premier Bartlett and the government I lead are working closely together to build a stronger Tasmania.
Last week I announced the most significant reforms to our health and hospital system since Medicare almost three decades ago.
The Australian Government is committed to ending the blame-game, the cost-shifting and the inefficiencies that plague our health system. As I announced, we will build a National Health and Hospitals Network - funded nationally, run locally.
I welcome Premier Bartlett's positive response to our plans, and I look forward to working with him on the details of our reforms in the months ahead, but in the meantime, we're continuing to work together to build a stronger health and hospitals system today.
The Australian Government has increased our investment in health and hospitals here in Tasmania by 49 per cent compared to the Howard Government. Under our healthcare agreement, we've increased our investment from $930m to $1.4 billion:
* Our investment in extra elective surgery procedures took 1606 people off the waiting lists in 2008.
* We've put $3.1 million into new equipment for Royal Hobart, Launceston and North West Region hospitals.
* And we're investing $15.5 million in four GP Super Clinics in Burnie, Devonport, Sorrell and Clarence.
We're investing in an education revolution, increasing the Australian Government's investment in Tasmania's schools and education system by 197 per cent compared to the last four years of the Howard Government:
* That includes $439 million in the biggest ever school modernisation project in Tasmania, with 599 projects across 272 schools.
* It includes funding for 6,300 computers in 103 schools.
* And $37 million allocated for Trades Training Centres at 32 schools.
We're getting on with the job, supporting new infrastructure where it's most needed:
* The national investment in Tasmanian transport infrastructure is up 63 per cent in our first two years in office, compared to the last two years of the previous government.
* The Government's Nation Building Program has delivered almost $800 million for road and rail projects, including key Midland Highway investments such as the much-needed Brighton Bypass.
* And we're investing in safer Tasmanian roads, with funding for road safety measures at 40 rail crossing and road accident black spots.
We're investing in local community infrastructure like the night lights at Bellerive Oval so that more Tasmanians can share one of life's great joys - watching a Ricky Ponting double century - as I did in January.
And last week we announced a $12.5 million boost to Tasmania's tourism industry through an upgrade of the Three Capes Track.
We're also investing in affordable housing for Tasmanians who most need it - building 514 new homes, at a cost of $125 million.
Friends, this is action that's delivering for Tasmania: better hospitals, new school halls and classrooms, new infrastructure and affordable housing, real investments that are building a stronger Tasmania and the results of a strong working relationship with David Bartlett and his team.
Friends, there is no greater example of us working together than the National Broadband Network because there's no Premier who better understands the potential of superfast broadband for his state.
Friends, we are living in a time of rapid economic change with many businesses and industries going through difficult transitions. At the same time, we see new opportunities emerging.
Superfast broadband is key to so many of those future opportunities. It's the single most important infrastructure investment we can make in the future of Tasmania. It's got the potential to transform the state's economy.
Friends, we're building a National Broadband Network across Australia - but it's all started here in Tasmania. We know that for too long this state was left behind. Rather than an information superhighway, for many Tasmanians it's been a goat track. Tasmania has had the lowest proportion of households with broadband of any state or territory.
But that's not the only reason why we started the NBN here in Tasmania.
Tasmania is the pioneer state for the National Broadband Network and that's because of the vision of Premier David Bartlett.
When we went out to the market to see who could build a national broadband network, none of the proposals offered value for money, but the Tasmanian Government made the best submission.
It became the starting point for what is now the Tasmanian National Broadband Network, TNBN Co, and it's the vision of Premier Bartlett that has put this project in the fast lane in Tasmania.
Within months of our National Broadband Network announcement, we laid the first optical-fibre broadband cable in the project in July last year. We announced the first sites that would receive superfast broadband services by July this year - Smithton, Scottsdale and Midway Point.
Last October we announced Stage 2 - another seven communities that would receive services and plans for the backbone links in the East Coast, south of Hobart and to the new industrial hub being developed at Westbury.
And just last week, we announced Stage 3 - another 90,000 homes and businesses - 40,000 in Hobart, 30,000 in Launceston and 10,000 in each of Burnie and Devonport - as well as a $100 million equity injection into TNBN Co.
And we've set a goal to connect 200,000 premises over the next 5 years.
Friends, fast broadband will mean better jobs and business opportunities for Tasmanians. It will mean higher productivity, lower emissions, better health care and better education and Tasmania is pioneering superfast broadband because of Premier Bartlett's vision and energy for Tasmania.
Friends, broadband is only one example of how we're working together to build a strong Tasmania.
Another example is our response to the economic challenges in the state's northern regions. Last year, the north was particularly affected by business closures in the food processing and paper sectors.
I received strong representations from Premier Bartlett - alongside Sid Sidebottom, Jodie Campbell and Dick Adams. That's why we teamed up with David to create a $20 million package to respond to support new ventures to generate new jobs and businesses in the north.
The North West and Northern Tasmania Innovation and Investment Fund invited applications for funds - and it's received 126 applications, which are now under review.
In the meantime, we've already supported 53 small and medium size businesses to become stronger, more competitive businesses through the Enterprise Connect Manufacturing Centre in Burnie.
Friends, David Bartlett is a bloke who understands Tasmanian families. A bloke who rolls his sleeves up and works hard for the people of this state. A bloke who cares deeply for his kids, his community and his state.
He's got a vision for a stronger Tasmania. He's got the right priorities for Tasmanian families.
And as Prime Minister, I look forward to working with him to deliver for Tasmania's future.
I'm delighted to introduce to you the Premier of Tasmania, David Bartlett.