Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. The government was very clear that the Cadbury money would be reinvested in Tasmania, and so it will be—$16 million will be invested in a new jobs and investment fund to support the Tasmanian economy and to strengthen the competitiveness of that local economy. I have to remind the honourable member that the commitment to the Cadbury factory would have had benefits far beyond a particular street, suburb, postcode or city. This project would have seen increased dairy production in the north of Tasmania, increased logistics activity across the state and, of course, more jobs at the factory itself. So the project would have provided economic benefits across the state, not just in Glenorchy. Glenorchy is not a hermetically-sealed economy in and of itself; it is part of Tasmania. So any investment there at Cadbury would have benefited the whole state—and the honourable member, I am sure, agrees with this.

Sadly, it was Cadbury that withdrew its request for the funding.

Mr Champion interjecting—

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