30 June 2015

Will Hodgman, Premier

Historic first meeting of Cabinet on Flinders Island

Today marks the first time that a Cabinet meeting has ever been held on Flinders Island. 

I was struck by the sense of optimism that has returned to the community since I last visited in early 2014.  It’s amazing to see that not only is the community more confident, the population is starting to grow again. 

Our visit today is part of this Government’s commitment to rural and regional Tasmania and shows that we are serious about supporting regional and remote communities.

Our long-term Plan for Tasmania includes specific commitments for Flinders Island and it’s important that we make sure, firsthand, that our commitments are on track.

In particular, the Government committed to:

• Building a Flinders Island trail, which will initially connect Killiecrankie to the docks area and ultimately will link the north and the south of Flinders;
• Providing additional tourism marketing funding to support the unique branding and marketing of Flinders Island; and
• Trialing new technologies to reduce wireless internet and phone black spots.

Of course, we want to ensure that Flinders Island benefits from all of our statewide policies, from increasing visitor numbers to boosting our food exports. 

Living in a remote area has many benefits, but it also has its challenges and I am keen to listen to the community today to see how we can work together.  A number of issues were raised with us that need addressing, most pressingly communications problems, and the Government will work to address those concerns.

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