Andrew Wilkie (Denison, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, federal government departments are increasingly entering into single contracts with national suppliers at the expense of smaller Tasmanian companies, hoping to supply goods and services exclusively or principally in Tasmania. The result of this discriminatory contracting is often substandard and expensive goods and services because Tasmania is obviously a unique regional and rural market physically dislocated from the mainland. Quite simply, Tasmania is entirely unfamiliar to many national suppliers who don't even have a presence there. Prime Minister, will you review this matter so that Australians relying on federal government agencies located in Tasmania and Tasmanians relying on local federal government services start getting a better deal?

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