Government Action Plan for 2009

Premier David Bartlett presented the Government’s ongoing stimulus package that delivers on-the-ground action across Tasmania during his first State of the state address to parliament on 3 March 2009.

“The State Government will use the underlying strengths of our economy and our budget position to invest now for Tasmania’s future.”

 “The Global Financial Crisis is the greatest challenge of 2009 however there are some good reasons to be optimistic about Tasmania’s financial and economic future.”

“Respected economists agree that Tasmania is better positioned than other States in Australia to remain resilient in the coming year, and rebound strongly when the recovery begins.

“This Government has produced ten budget surpluses. This strong economic management shows we have the ability to make the sound judgements to keep Tasmania moving forward.”

 “We are ten years into a two decade transformation of this State.

“We must not let temporary financial and economic conditions dissuade or deter us from finishing what we have begun.

“The Government stands ready to take whatever action is necessary to help Tasmania through short term financial shocks caused by the global situation.

“We are investing and will keep investing to drive our economy forwards, and taking this State into the next decade with confidence and with vision for tomorrow.”

“I am looking forward to a year of action as part of the ten year vision that this new Government has for our State,” he said.

Mr Bartlett said he had no doubt that Tasmania’s best days still lie ahead.

Education and skills

The Government’s ten-year vision for education and skills is to lift educational outcomes from below the Australian average to the top of the nation within ten years and to have the best trained workforce with the highest levels of vocational qualification in the nation and the Skills Strategy maps out how to get there.

Health

The Premier restated the Government’s commitment to Tasmania’s Health Plan and to making a decision about the Royal Hobart Hospital project and said the decision would be made with the best interests of patients and staff at its core.

Environment

Tasmania’s natural environment is one of its greatest assets and the Government intends to establish a Bay of Fires National Park on the East Coast and to create 2 500 hectares of foraging habitat for the endangered swift parrot through the planting of blue-gums along parts of cleared coastline over the next 5 years.

Innovation

Innovation is central to Tasmania’s future and providing water security is one of the foundations that will allow Tasmania to become the ‘food-bowl’ of Australia. The Premier revealed the timelines for delivering water infrastructure projects around Tasmania and unveiled plans for a top-flight farm management course and an institute for training high-end chefs in the vigorous pursuit of this vision.

A new Tasmanian Planning Commission will bring together the work of the Resource Planning and Development Commission and the Land Use Planning Branch from the Department of Justice. The new entity will make a more responsive planning system a reality.

As part of his broad 10-year vision, the Premier committed to making Tasmania the most connected State in Australia through investment in telecommunications infrastructure.

A modern mix of transport options will ensure that Tasmania moves into a new age of low-emission  and intelligent transport that includes a mixture of road, rail, cycleways and walkways as well as the conversion of the remaining Metro fleet to bio-diesel in the next 12 months.

Social Inclusion

A Community Transport Trust will be established to empower communities to meet their own transport needs which is one of the keys to Tasmania becoming more socially inclusive.

In addition to the Learning and Information Network Centres (LINC’s) committed to at Scottsdale, Bridgewater and Queenstown, two further LINC’s will be in Sorell and George Town.

The Premier also revealed the locations of the first seven Child and Family Centres which act as ‘one-stop-shops’ for families – bringing together all of those services that make a difference in the early years of a child’s life. The locations are: Clarendon Vale, Ravenswood, Chigwell, George Town, East Devonport, Beaconsfield, and Queenstown. The Premier also announced that the 8th Child and Family Centre will be built at Risdon Cove in response to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community which has asked repeatedly for a dedicated centre at Risdon Cove to support the needs of Aboriginal children.

In 2009, the Government’s focus in public housing, aided by the Commonwealth, will be on getting keys into locks and on delivering houses for families. This year will see a total of 167 new houses for Tasmanians in need.

$1million was committed to the Emergency Relief Fund in 2009/10 to make sure that community organisations have the resources they need to deliver assistance to Tasmanians through the challenging times ahead.

Tasmania will celebrate together on a Sunday in November each year that allows all Tasmanians to celebrate what it means to be Tasmanian in all Tasmanian communities’ right around the state. In the first year, the day of celebration is dedicated to the work of volunteers – who also received a boost with $260,000 per annum of recurrent funding to coordinate and reinvigorate volunteering across Tasmania.

Tourism

Tourism will continue to be a focus in 2009 and several initiatives were announced. Oatlands is set to become Tasmania’s newest heritage destination equal in excellence to Richmond and Port Arthur and begins with $500,000 for the restoration of the Oatlands Penitentiary Building. That will bring the total Government investment in Oatlands in the last two years alone to nearly $2 million, with more to come. A Festival of Ideas will be a sister festival to 10 Days On The Island. The Festival of Ideas will send a categorical message to the rest of the world that Tasmania is a society open to the best minds on earth and dedicated to the emergence of the new ideas that will characterise the future.