Last night’s Federal Budget is great news for Tasmania, and will help to grow our economy and create more jobs.
In addition to strong and growing Federal funding for health, education and affordable housing, the jewel in the crown for Tasmania is the unprecedented infrastructure spend of nearly $1 billion that will create more jobs, cut travel times and make it safer for Tasmanians to move around the State.
This investment will support thousands of jobs during construction, and underpin a stronger economy in the long term as a result of the improved productivity that a modern efficient transport system will provide.
In addition to a landmark commitment regarding the replacement of the Bridgewater Bridge and the $400 million for strategic roads, the additional $59.8 million for the Tasmanian Freight Rail Revitalisation program will increase the Commonwealth Government’s total funding to $120 million and allow the upgrade of priority sections of the Tasmanian rail network.
In an economy that has a strong focus on exports, an efficient rail and freight system in Tasmania is vital in supporting jobs and growing the economy. This investment by the Federal Government is great news that will underpin TasRail’s ability to get Tasmania’s freight where it needs to go safely and on time.
Funding for essential services has been confirmed with both Tasmania’s share of the Quality Schools and the new health agreement fully-funded, while we will also get our fair share of the additional aged-care places.
That’s on top of the income tax relief that will result in increased take-home pay for 2 out of every 3 working Tasmanians, which will flow through to increased spending in Tasmanian businesses and lower the cost of living.
Last night’s Budget is another great example of Federal and State Liberals working together and complements the work already done to reduce cost of living pressures for Tasmanians, and to support Tasmania’s continued economic resurgence.