state parliament returns – after being suspended until August, the Premier has decided to recall state parliament from 27 April. Reduced sittings will follow the initial 2020 schedule. “Parliament will sit for at least one day for each scheduled sitting week with additional days scheduled should legislation necessary for our COVID-19 response need to be debated,” said Premier Peter Gutwein. “This will give members of parliament the opportunity to transparently scrutinise the Government’s decisions in relation to COVID-19, and it will enable other urgent COVID-19 business to continue. The Leader of the House, Minister Ferguson, will consult with Ms White, Ms O’Connor and Ms Ogilvie, as well as Speaker Hickey and the President of the Legislative Council, Mr Farrell, about the safest and most appropriate ways to conduct the sittings.”
Responses were positive from all sides. “Both Dr Woodruff and I very much look forward to Parliament’s return,” said Greens’ Leader Cassy O’Connor. “We’ll continue to work constructively with all our colleagues in supporting Tasmanians through this pandemic and we’ll keep asking the questions that need answers in the weeks and months ahead.” Labor Leader Rebecca White said Labor had been lobbying for increased transparency measures on behalf of the Tasmanian public and had always indicated it was prepared to return to Parliament. “Parliament is an essential part of our democracy. Labor has been working collaboratively with the government throughout this crisis, but there is no substitute for the transparency and scrutiny of Parliament. The decisions that have been made and the measures put in place have been necessary to limit the spread of COVID-19, but it is important there is transparency in decision making.” Independent MHA for Clark Madeleine Ogilvie said, “I am pleased that we will have the opportunity to continue parliamentary accountability during this coronavirus emergency and I congratulate the Premier on his decision.”
local government jobs – the risk remains that there will be major layoffs in the local government sector. The Australian Services Union is again calling for urgent action from state and federal governments to secure the jobs of almost 4,000 local government employees. Burnie City Council stood down around 60 workers this week, a decision which could see “the start of the race to the bottom with other Councils expected to follow suit” according to the union. Australian Services Union’s Tasmanian Coordinator, Aaron De La Torre said with state government support workers could still make a real contribution to local communities across the state. “Many councils have increased their services to the community and redeployed existing staff from areas that have seen reduced workloads,” he argued. “Boosting services will make sure communities are supported during the pandemic and in the early stages of recovery as well as provide a base of secure jobs.” Local government workers are not eligible for the federal government’s JobKeeper wage subsidy that is available to a large portion of workers and businesses in our communities.
Local Government Association of Tasmania President Christina Holmdahl said it was too soon to make predictions as Councils are still working through how they can best maintain their staff. “I think the situation will be clearer after this month’s Council meetings,” she told Tasmanian Times. “LGAT is collating the stats but it’s early days for a whole of sector position.”
parks construction work – the state government has brought forward some spending to upgrade various pieces of parks infrastructure during the coronavirus downturn. Projects include:
- a new visitor shelter and amenities, including toilet facility upgrades, at the entrance to the Southwest National Park, south of the Cockle Creek Bridge.
- upgrades to toilet facilities at Encampment Cove and French’s Farm campsites, located about 10 kilometres outside the World Heritage Darlington Precinct, to improve the visitor experience for the growing number of people exploring Maria Island.
- upgrade to staircase at the Remarkable Cave on the Tasman Peninsula.
“The $16 million Improved State-wide Visitor Infrastructure (ISVI) fund will not only provide improved infrastructure in parks throughout the state to meet visitor expectations, but also generate jobs and support economic activity in regional Tasmania and help the tourism industry prepare to rebound in coming months,” said Roger Jaensch, Minister for Environment and Parks. Work is expected to begin mid-2020 and will be designed to not only cater for increased visitor numbers but also improved environmental outcomes. Tender documents and information can be found on the Tasmanian Government’s Tender website at www.tenders.tas.gov.au. The tender period closes in May.
Mersey call – the Australian Medical Associationa (AMA) Tasmania has called on the government to pivot and focus on the north-west to identify all cases including those that are asymptomatic, isolate, contain and crush the virus to save lives. President Prof John Burgess also urged the Minister to release to healthcare workers the learnings from the outbreak investigation as a matter of the highest priority. Prof Burgess added, “the outbreak that has occurred in the north-west is something that could happen anywhere in Australia. The open letter addressed to Minister Courtney ‘Mersey Community Hospital plea for safe response and support with current COVID outbreak’ is a real insight into the concerns of healthcare workers in the north-west, and the government must listen to their concerns and act upon them immediately. Outbreaks in a healthcare environment can occur, but it is something that must be guarded against, and this can be achieved by following strict guidelines and open and transparent lines of communication.” The full AMA Tasmania statement is reproduced below.
