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TASMANIAN ECONOMIC FORUM 2010
Infrastructure for a Sustainable and Prosperous Tasmania

Friday 3rd December 2010, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Venue: Hobart Function and Conference Centre, Elizabeth Street Pier, Hobart.

This year’s Forum will bring together 125 delegates from the Tasmanian business community, the public and community sectors, and the University of Tasmania to discuss economic issues and challenges relating to infrastructure provision in Tasmania.

Sessions include:
• 9:30am to 10:00am – Mr Bob Rutherford, Deputy Secretary, Tas Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources.
o Topic: “The political economy of infrastructure policy”.
• 10:00am to 10:45am – Mr Saul Eslake, Director, Productivity Growth, Grattan Institute.
o Topic: “Productivity increases resulting from targeted infrastructure investment”.
• 11:10am to 11:55am – Mr Vincent Ashcroft, Asst Director General, Economics, Rural Development and Infrastructure Branch, AusAID.
o Topic: “The benefits from economic analysis in infrastructure decisions”.
• 12:00pm to 2:00pm – Mr Darren Alexander, President, TAS-ICT and Mr Andrew Scobie, Chairman of Tasmanian IT business, Scobie Archive, in a lunchtime debate and discussion titled “the NBN is critical to Tasmania’s future prosperity”.
• 2:00pm to 2:40pm – Mr Adrian Christian, CEO, Tas Government Electricity Industry Expert Panel.
o Topic: “Challenges in moving to ‘sustainable’ model”.
• 2:50pm to 3:05pm – Mr Chris Oldfield, CEO, Tas Irrigation Development Board.
o Topic: “Irrigation Development in Tasmania”.
• 3:05pm to 4:15pm – Debate featuring Jan Davis (Tas Farmers and Graziers Association); Richard Gardner (Farmer and Irrigator); John Tisdell and Norton Grey (UTas); Peter McGlone (Tas Conservation Trust); and Mark Bowles (Tas Chamber of Commerce and Industry).
o Topic: “There is no market failure in providing irrigation infrastructure that justifies state intervention and support”.

The Economic Society of Australia – Tasmania Branch thanks gold sponsors and event partners; Hydro Tasmania and the Tas Department of Economic Development and the Arts, and silver sponsors; Pitt & Sherry, Stornoway, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the University of Tasmania Faculty of Business, and the Tas Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources.

Organisation: Economic Society of Australia – Tasmanian Branch (Inc)
Event: 7th Tasmanian Economic Forum
Title: Infrastructure for a Sustainable and Prosperous Tasmania
Date & Time: Friday 3rd December 2010, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Venue: Hobart Function and Conference Centre, Elizabeth Street Pier, Hobart.

Website: www.ecosoc.org.au/tas

To ensure adequate seating, please RSVP to Kyle Lowe, Branch Secretary, by phone (03) 6233 3753 or email [email protected] by 5:00 pm Thursday 2nd December.
Economic Society of Tasmania