Brett Whiteley (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When I went to the people of Braddon to seek their vote at the 2013 federal election, I outlined quite clearly my commitments and goals for the electorate. I made local community based commitments; I outlined regional and state-wide commitments, and of course we as the then opposition made commitments to the nation as a whole. Just over 18 months into the term of this government, I take the opportunity this evening to report back to the voters on the progress of these commitments. Whether it be the $3 million funding for the Burnie indoor pool development, the Devonport Soccer Club redevelopment with $1.1 million, the Devonport Hockey redevelopment with $200,000, the $350,000 for the Smithton hockey centre, the $100,000 for the Smithton Recreation Ground lighting project or the $85,000 for the Cradle Coast Outriggers to build their own facilities—and the list goes on—I am glad to report to the electors in Braddon that each and every one of the local commitments that I made has received funding and is underway or nearly completed. I said I would deliver these projects and I am delivering them to the people of Braddon, and I am proud of that.

I also committed to being a great supporter of the Green Army project. Now, heading towards the third round of Green Army projects to be announced later in the year, I can say that five projects have been announced for my electorate and either are about to commence shortly, have commenced or have been completed. The great news is that not that many but a number of young people have found full-time employment as a result of that program, albeit just a few projects.

As I speak with business throughout the electorate, without a doubt the most pressing issue is freight. Tasmanian businesses have long been disadvantaged by exorbitant freight costs charged for exports. Some people told me horror stories of the costs of this. That is why during the election I committed absolutely to working with a new coalition government to fix the anomaly in the TFES system, which supported shipments to Melbourne only if they were not then exported overseas. We promised a Productivity Commission inquiry into freight and we delivered. And, in response to that report, the Prime Minister and I announced $203 million over four years to boost the TFES to include exports. This is a game changer for my state. It will allow exporting businesses for the first time to compete with mainland businesses for export growth following the three landmark free trade agreements delivered by this government last year. This means North-West beef on tables in China, Korea and Japan, it means North-West milk in the major grocery chains in Asia, and it means our local businesses can export their goods to these countries on a level playing field with the mainland.

There are many things we do well in Braddon, and that includes anything to do with agriculture. That is why this government's $60 million commitment to help build five new irrigation schemes in Tasmania, including in Circular Head in my electorate, is so important. It will give farmers year-round access to water and boost production. This means farmers can get a better return on their investments and employ more people.

Above all, voters in Braddon are concerned with employment. Under the previous government, the state ALP-Greens coalition, over 10,000 jobs were lost. In fact, these governments took pride in attempting to destroy whole industries. I am able to report that since the election, since this government has delivered on all of its commitments, we have managed to stop the shedding of jobs and start to repair the economy. This comment is based on fact. Since September 2013, full-time employment in Tasmania has risen by 7,700 and part-time employment by 1,300. That means total employment in Tasmania has risen now to 239,300. This has seen unemployment rates drop by 1.6 per cent, to 6.6 per cent. We are no longer tail-end Charlie in this nation. There is a long way to go to undo the damage done by the previous Labor governments to the Tasmanian economy, but we, together with the Will Hodgman led Liberal government in Tasmania, are doing our absolute best to get the Tasmanian economy, including the North-West economy, back on track.

Every now and again, I see former members of parliament, former members of the then government, calling for a return to their policies. Well, I make the commitment to Braddon that I will never return to their job-destroying policies. I will continue to rebuild the economy and to build on the work we have already done to see over 8,000 people return to paid employment in this state. I thank the House.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It being 9.30 pm, the debate is interrupted.

House adjourned at 21:30