As Christmas 2017 approaches, our Plan to Build Your Future has achieved some exciting milestones this week.
Health continues to be a priority and our focus on reducing the elective surgery waiting list was recognised by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in its latest report which revealed Tasmania has the highest per capita rate of elective surgery of any state or territory in 2016-17.
As part of our record investment in health, we have also continued to roll out more beds and the New Beds Implementation Team has now opened 79 beds and 4 recliners across Tasmania with a further 22 more beds planned to open in the next 2 months.
The $689 million Royal Hobart Hospital is still on budget and now ahead of schedule with K Block coming out of the ground and the ground floor concrete slab, scheduled for January, already completed and the first slab on level 3 now poured.
The eagerly awaited $9.8 million expansion of the Launceston General Hospital’s children’s ward 4K is on track with the tender process opening this week, and we secured the first full-time Endocrinologist at the LGH for more than 10 years, starting in January.
Health Minister Michael Ferguson: ``Every Tasmanian deserves to have access to the best health services available which is why we will continue to prioritise health and aim even higher.’’
Christmas is always a busy time for families and visitors and we know that Tasmania has become a must-see destination.
Our T21 Tasmanian Visitor Economy Progress Report confirms that Tasmania is leading the nation with a 17 per cent growth in international visitors – 10 per cent higher that the average of other states and territories
Acting Premier Jeremy Rockliff: ``One of the most popular destinations is the Port Arthur Historic site and just this week a new $12 million Visitor Centre was opened to better cope with the 340,000 tourists who visit annually.
``The tourism sector is one of our greatest strengths by creating jobs across the State, boosting the economy and improving infrastructure and services that benefit Tasmanians and their communities.’’
While summer is a popular time for travel it is also critical that we drive safely and we launched Operation Crossroads this week which means more police on the roads to deter dangerous driving behaviour and aiming for a fatality-free Christmas/New Year period like last year.
We also welcomed 18 new Correctional Officers today into the Tasmanian Prison Service following the successful completion of 13 weeks of rigorous training.
Minister for Corrections Elise Archer: ``Today’s graduation brings the total number of new Correctional Officers employed since May last year to 55, which confirms the Hodgman Government’s commitment to reinvesting in frontline services and keeping Tasmanians safe. ``
We are extremely conscious of keeping the cost of living to a minimum and our goal is to have lowest regulated electricity prices in the country by 2022.
Minister for Energy Guy Barnett: ``This week cheques for $125 were sent out to more than 80,000 pensioners and Health Care cardholders to make Christmas a little easier and to share in the strong financial result of our State-owned energy businesses.’’
These are just some of the ways that a majority Liberal Government has been working on your behalf to make Tasmania an even better place to live and work and raise a family.