Former Labor Minister for economic recession, David O’Byrne, has paid credit to how far Tasmania has come under the Hodgman majority Liberal Government, stating at today’s Government Business Enterprise scrutiny hearings “we are very happy with the economy.”
This rare show of bipartisan support for the Tasmanian Liberal Government’s long-term Plan to grow the state’s economy and create jobs is very welcome.
It follows confirmation Tasmania is the strongest growing economy in the nation, with the TCCI Tasmania Report again highlighting that for the first time all 19 industries in Tasmania grew throughout the year.
With nation leading business confidence there have now been almost 16 000 Tasmanian jobs created since we came to Government.
Mr O’Byrne’s acknowledgment that he is happy with the economy is a reflection of how far the State has come since his reckless Labor-Green Government was in place.
Under Mr O’Byrne’s watch 10,000 Tasmanian jobs were lost, the economy went into recession and two out of three businesses said government policies were not supportive.
In stark contrast, the Hodgman majority Liberal Government has backed Tasmanian businesses, with the most popular policies in the nation, to remove barriers, cut red tape, support and attract investment, reform payroll tax and assist with market access.
But there’s more to do. That’s why we’re committed to delivering our record $3.6 billion record infrastructure investment across Tasmania, which will create an extra 10,000 Tasmanian jobs, and continue to support investment in essential services, including health and education.