Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'Burnie booms' was the headline of a full-page newspaper ad that was recently placed in The Advocate, our great local regional newspaper. The ad was placed by Hampton Peters Real Estate, and I want to give them a big shout-out. Peter Bull and the team at Hampton Peters are working hard in the real estate market back home in the great state of Tasmania. Working hard they are, as the ad went on to say that property prices right across the north-west coast are soaring and that in the last few weeks record prices have been achieved. While most of Australia is in deep trouble with property prices predicted to drop as much as 50 per cent in some areas, what's happening in the north-west coast of Tasmania is unprecedented, the ad went on to say. In August 2020, Hampton Peters had a record month; in August, they had more sales than ever in their history.

Congratulations to Hampton Peters and great real estate businesses across the north-west, the West Coast and King Island. They have rebounded out of the challenges of COVID-19 and they're doing their part to get our region's economy back on track. The positive indicators in our local housing market are a great sign of things across the region—that they're rebounding and that we've got great things to come. And I'm proud to be that region's representative in the Morrison government.

Since day one of the pandemic, the government has done a great job in delivering an economic lifeline to our region, in outlining a clear road map for the way ahead and in building confidence and momentum in the economy. That's our job. That's the government's job. And it's right for people across the north-west, the west coast and King Island to expect the government to have their backs in times like these. The government's job isn't to drive our economy. That's business's job, particularly the thousands of small businesses right across the region, like Hampton Peters, which I've talked about today. They drive our economy. They are the engine room of our economy and they have stepped up when we needed it most. Often under very challenging conditions, they've kept their doors open, they've kept employees on their books and they've continued to deliver the services that we need as communities. The headline 'Burnie booms' is a testament to the small businesses across the north-west, the west coast and King Island, and I can't praise them enough for ensuring that our region is not only returning to where it was prior to COVID-19 but that we'll be in a better and stronger place than ever before because of their efforts.