Media release – Jeremy Rockliff, Premier, 17 June 2022
National Cabinet
Today’s National Cabinet meeting was a positive and collaborative discussion and I am pleased we have been able to reach agreement on a number of issues that will improve the lives of Tasmanians.
As we continue to adjust to living with COVID-19, we welcome the Federal Government’s commitment to extend the National Partnership on COVID-19 Response to 31 December 2022.
This will ensure the 50-50 shared funding deal between the Commonwealth and the states and territories will remain in place, allowing our health system to continue to manage the pandemic as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Additionally, there was a shared commitment to improving our health system, particularly regarding the connection between GPs and hospitals, with further discussions to be held in coming months. This is in line with Tasmania’s Primary Care Reform agenda which I look forward to discussing further with the Federal Government, as we progress this ongoing work.
There was some discussion around the national energy market and energy ministers across the country will continue to work together to respond to this collective challenge, with a focus on Tasmania’s renewable potential.
Current economic challenges were discussed and there will be a national review into the current fiscal environment and I am keen to engage in further conversation about GST and the continuation of the ‘no worse off’ guarantee.
I also welcome the commitment from the Federal Government to address the backlog in visa applications in areas of skills shortages, along with reducing visa waiting times, which will be appreciated by our primary producers ahead of the fruit picking season later this year.
National Cabinet has agreed to meet at least four times a year to ensure our collaborative approach can continue, with the next meeting to be held before the Federal Budget in October 2022.
