The Liberal Government's number one priority is creating jobs.
I am very pleased we have secured a long-term commitment from Qantas to consolidate its call centres in Tasmania, securing 246 local jobs and creating further opportunities for Tasmanians.
The 10-year deal gives Qantas an incentive to continue operating the nation's only call centre from Hobart.
The deal of up $10.9 million over 10-years includes:
The largest proportion of this deal is payroll tax revenue.
It is worth noting that if Qantas had made the decision to close the Hobart call centre this payroll tax revenue would not have been received in the first place.
This means that the real cost to the Tasmanian taxpayers of saving these jobs is a lot lower than the headline figure.
Additionally, we expect the number of jobs will grow as Qantas offers the opportunity for its Victorian and Queensland call centre employees to relocate to Tasmania.
This is a win for Tasmania and a win for Tasmanian jobs.