It was my pleasure to host and address the Engineers Australia Tasmanian Branch round table today where I spoke about the Hodgman Liberal Government’s commitment to growing this important sector.
A strong and vibrant engineering industry is essential to Tasmania’s economy and supports thousands of jobs across the state.
The figures speak for themselves, with engineering construction in Tasmania for the last financial year totalling $1.305 billion- up 13 per cent on the previous year.
What that means for Tasmanians is more jobs being created, more investment, and the ongoing delivery of essential projects such as upgrading the Midland Highway, the Hobart Airport roundabout, and a new Bridgewater Bridge that we expect will be funded in the next Infrastructure Investment Program.
It justifies our decision to establish Infrastructure Tasmania as an independent body to ensure the effective coordination, planning and assessment of major infrastructure proposals in Tasmania.
We will continue to grow the industry in Tasmania as home-grown engineering capacity is vital to support Tasmania's growing economy and infrastructure investments. This includes a focus on promoting engineering opportunities available to young Tasmanians, and increasing the focus on STEM skills.
I congratulate the 1300 Tasmanian members of Engineers Australia for the great contribution they make and look forward to more great results in the coming years.