Concerns Public Hearings Exclude Small Businesses

The Tasmanian Small Business Council has hit out at proposals to discuss potential future Tasmanian health policies as being a process designed by bureaucrats for bureaucrats and little else.

TSBC Chief Executive Officer, Robert Mallett said just days prior to Christmas the Health Department released a discussion paper canvassing health options for the state into the future with a promise to consult.

“With the Christmas break over, we’ve now been given less than 10 days notice that the consultation on the Health Policy will be held throughout the state and it will occur during business hours,” said Mr Mallett.

“What a joke, if the Government was serious about this, they’d actually ensure that all of the community could attend the forums, but instead many small businesses who would love to comment, will be too busy running their business.

Mr Mallett said while he applauds the Government for setting about a process to make Tasmania the healthiest state in Australia by 2025, some of the initiatives are unworkable.

“In a practical sense, the suggestion to increase the smoking age to 21 or 25 will simply be unworkable,” he said.

“Why not simply enforce the existing laws, instead of introducing a system that will be confusing to implement, force tobacco sales even further underground and is unlikely to actually have any positive impact on youth smoking rates.

“When asked about this issue when it was floated by the State Government, the national head of the Australian Medical Association said prohibition simply does not work.

“Given we have the toughest anti-smoking laws in Tasmania and yet the highest rates of smoking, it is clear other approaches such as education and enforcement are what needs to be implemented.

“However, for small businesses throughout Tasmania who wish to say this must first register their interest and then attend forums during normal work hours, which is ridiculous.”
Robert Mallett