Five organisations representing thousands of jobs and hundreds of businesses in regional Tasmania say that the federal election is a referendum on who can best support regional industries in Tasmania.

 

The Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Clean Energy Tasmania, the Tasmanian Forest Products Association, Salmon Tasmania and the Tasmanian Minerals, Manufacturing and Energy Council are calling for all federal election candidates in Tasmania to stand by regional communities, regional industries and regional jobs in Tasmania.

 

Spokesperson Michael Bailey said given how tight the election is nationally, the result could come down to what happens in Tasmania.

 

“The voters of Tasmania never get it wrong and they will back in the party that will deliver for regional communities, regional industries and regional jobs,” Mr Bailey said.

 

“Let’s not forget that its regional Tasmania that produces most of our exports and that there are far more people employed outside of greater Hobart than within it.

 

“Every industry represented here today is facing huge challenges and we need the next Federal Government to support us, so that we can continue to support Tasmania.”

 

Mr Bailey said that the organisations had seven key priorities:

 

·      Reform environmental laws at federal level, especially the EPBC Act, which continues to be a handbrake on investment and job creation on a number of industry sectors

·      Commit to a sustainable future for Tasmania’s forest sector

·      Acknowledge the Tarkine is and has been a mixed land-use zone for over a century and agree there is no case to change the classification of the region and allow compliant development applications to proceed

·      Modernise the TFES to make it fairer for exporters

·      Lock in Marinus Link and work to bring forward the timeline for construction

·      Back job-creating, energy-generating projects like the Robbins Island wind farm

·      Commit to maintaining support for a sustainable salmon industry, especially in Macquarie Harbour

 

“We’ve already seen both the Coalition and the Labor Party at a federal level back in salmon farming, Marinus Link, Robbins Island windfarm and providing additional funding for the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme, but there is still more to do and we will be campaigning hard between now and election day to make sure the federal candidates in Tasmania hear our message.

 

“We believe that these issues are crucial to the future of the State and that this election should be a referendum on who can best look after the interests of Tasmania, especially regional Tasmania.”