Launch of the Commerce Business Excellence Awards Program
Launceston Design Centre
5 May 2009
Thank you and it’s terrific to join you to celebrate the immense contribution that northern Tasmanian businesses make to this State.
I want to start by throwing a few famous names at you – companies of international standing. I’m talking here about Bridgestone, Porsche, Revlon, Lego and Fuji-film.
What these companies have in common is that they were all founded in the early 1930s, in the very midst of what we now call the Great Depression. It is a reminder to all of us that in the midst of challenge, there is still opportunity.
There is still room for men and women of ideas, and for innovative businesses to not only survive, but to thrive. And the same applies right now here in Tasmania.
The current Global Financial Crisis, and the impact it’s having on the economy is no secret to anyone in this room. There are all kinds of pressures being placed on business bottom lines – just as they are being placed on the bottom lines of the upcoming Federal and State budgets.
Recently we have heard both the Prime Minister and the Governor of the Reserve Bank concede that Australia will suffer a recession – if we are not in fact already in one. But as the latest outlook from Access Economics last week shows, we still have strong reasons for optimism about the future here in Tasmania.
Retail trade, building approvals and unemployment are all performing better than the rest of Australia – which is not to say that we too won’t feel the impact going forward.
We need to do whatever we can to help Tasmania weather the impacts that do hit us. That is why right now we are making major investments for the future – like the $243 million Brighton Bypass and Transport Hub we turned the first sod on recently. And like the National Broadband roll-out I announced with the Prime Minister just a week or two ago – which is an up to half-a-billion dollar project that will change the face of Tasmania.
Fibre to the premise will change the way you do business, and the way Government delivers its services. And we will be the first State in Australia to have it – delivering all kinds of competitive advantages to your business. It’s all part of our broader economic vision for the next decade – based on three core blueprint documents.
Last year I released our 10 year Skills Strategy which will make sure that the Tasmanian workforce of the future has the skills that can help your business grow. In coming months, we will be releasing decade long strategies for infrastructure and for innovation – which will underpin everything we do.
In the shorter term – in 2009 – my focus is on getting money moving by investing in infrastructure – keeping the order books of local businesses moving and keeping people in jobs. I am also committed to tightening the public sector belt – I’ve already announced some measures and more announcements will follow. But equally important is the drive, and the vision, and the resilience, and new ideas of the people in this room tonight.
The continued faith of the northern business community in the Tasmanian economy, and your continued commitment to the pursuit of business excellence, will help to keep Tasmania in front when the economic rebound begins.
That’s why the Business Excellence Awards Program is so important. These awards are about celebrating success and highlighting excellence in a way that encourages other businesses to work even harder to be the best they can be. I congratulate the Launceston Chamber of Commerce and the sponsors for their continued involvement which allows these awards to happen.
The fact that the award categories cover everyone from small businesses and start-ups, right through to established large employers gives everyone a chance to compete against their peers and strive for a culture of continuous improvement in their business.
In that spirit, and with that aim, it gives me great pleasure to officially launch the Business Excellence Awards program for 2009.
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