The ABS State Accounts released today show that Tasmania’s economy is growing at the fastest rate in six years.
When we were elected we said our priority would be creating jobs and growing the economy and our long-term Plan is delivering on both.
In 2014-15, the economy grew by 1.6 per cent, while our per capita growth rate is the second highest of any state.
The ABS figures show that our agriculture, forestry and fishing sector grew by 8.6 per cent and is now worth nearly $2.3 billion to Tasmania. Our construction sector grew by an impressive 15 per cent and our accommodation and food services sector grew by seven per cent, reflecting the boom in visitor numbers that Tasmania has been experiencing.
The other highlight of the figures is confirmation that private business investment is up by over five per cent. When businesses have confidence, when there are more people in work and when the economy is growing, businesses will invest and these figures prove that’s happening right now.
Since the election, nearly 7,000 new jobs have been created, but there is a lot more work to do to keep the economy growing and new jobs being created. That’s why as part of the budget the Government announced a $315 million jobs package and a $1.8 billion infrastructure plan.
Peter Gutwein, Treasurer
