Today’s ABS retail figures show another solid month for retail in Tasmania. In June, total retail spending hit a high of $477.1 million, a 0.3 per cent increase on May and a 2.9 per cent increase since last year.
This is another sign of growing confidence in the economy. We have the highest business confidence in the country, a booming construction sector and significant jobs growth.
However we know there is still a lot of work to do. The best way to help the retail sector is to create jobs and make sure more Tasmanians have money in their pocket. That’s why this year’s Budget included a $315 million jobs package and a $1.8 billion infrastructure package.
We are also rolling out programs that will directly help the retail sector, like our Buy Local campaign and our Local Benefits Test that is helping more Tasmanian businesses win Government tenders.