The Tasmanian Government is committed to sensibly balancing a reboot and rebuild of our economy, while mitigating the risk of a second wave of coronavirus infections.
Today I joined the Premier’s Economic and Social Recovery Advisory Council to discuss the important steps we are taking as a state towards economic recovery and rebuilding.
The Council has been established to provide advice and recommendations to the Tasmanian Government on strategies and initiatives to support the short to medium and the longer term recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
This includes ways to best mitigate the economic and social impacts of the pandemic, and to identify opportunities for economic and social renewal.
Importantly, this will be done in consultation with all Tasmanians, with the Council to undertake a three-stage consultation process geared around the timing of key deliverables.
This will include initial targeted consultation with Government Agencies, existing recovery networks, and peak bodies as part of Stage One, followed by extended consultation with the Tasmanian community in Stage Two.
I expect to receive the Council’s Stage One report at the end of June 2020, which will include high level immediate initiatives and responses that we can put in place reasonably quickly, and well before the Budget in November, to ensure our economic and social recovery is progressed swiftly.
Through all of this, we remain focussed on getting our society back to normal and the thousands of Tasmanians who have lost their jobs back to work.
I recently announced the Government will develop a plan to build ourselves out of coronavirus, with the most aggressive construction program in Tasmania’s history.
Treasury is currently undertaking a review of the state’s $3.7 billion infrastructure program to identify projects that can be brought forward and commenced swiftly.
Projects like affordable houses, upgrades on schools and Government buildings, roads, and other Government infrastructure projects.
I expect to announce the re-profiled construction and infrastructure program next week.
This will be the first major step in our rebuild program.
We have rebuilt our economy once before when we first came to Government in 2014, and over five years we took Tasmania from economic laggard to leader. We have had the most confident businesses in the nation and the most engaged community, and we will do it again.
To view the Terms of Reference for the Council and their approach to consultation, please visit www.pesrac.tas.gov.au