Media release – Jeremy Rockliff, Premier, 3 March 2025
Team Tasmania’s economic priorities for the federal election
Infrastructure, freight, housing and transport are among the key economic priorities for Tasmania’s key industries ahead of the upcoming federal election.
Flanked by the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania and the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Premier Jeremy Rockliff unveiled the Team Tasmania 2025 Federal Election Economic Priorities.
Premier Rockliff said the Tasmanian Government has worked side by side with key industries to develop the State’s economic priorities.
“We are determined to fight for what Tasmania deserves, and get the best outcome Tasmanians,” Premier Rockliff said.
“We are calling on the future Federal Government to get onboard Team Tasmania by investing in our state.
“The Team Tasmania election economic priority list outlines 11 initiatives that – no matter who is in Canberra – we want them to commit to for the future of Tasmania.
“These economic priorities include immediate action on the Freight Equalisation Scheme, developing Bilateral Deals to unlock key economic growth projects, red tape reduction, the Cradle cableway, more housing funding and insurance reforms.”
The Tasmanian Government’s vision is for Tasmania to be the best place in Australia to live, work, invest, do business and raise a family.
“These economic priorities will ensure we can achieve that and put Tasmania on the map,” Premier Rockliff said.
“Now it is time for all sides of federal politics to invest in Tasmania’s future prosperity.
“Together with industry, we are united in our push for federal investment in Tasmania’s infrastructure pipeline and its people, helping to create jobs and keep the economy strong.”
Team Tasmania 2025 Economic Priorities
We are calling on the Federal Government to commit to:
- Develop Bilateral Deals through the EPBC Act with the state to unlock key economic growth projects;
- Acknowledge that the Tarkine is and has been a mixed land-use zone for 150 years, and that there is no case to change the classification of the region;
- $180 million to deliver a cableway at Cradle Mountain;
- Immediately increase payment rates for the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme, preceding a full review of the scheme as recommended by the Senate Select Committee;
- Ensuring Tasmania gets its share in the benefits of skilled migration; Increase funding for housing infrastructure to build more homes for Tasmanians;
- Support the expansion MyState Bank Arena;
- Invest in a contemporary STEM precinct at UTAS’ Sandy Bay campus;
- Invest in enabling infrastructure for the TransLink industrial precinct at the
- Launceston Intermodal Hub;
- Reducing red tape and lower the regulatory burden with tangible targets to make it easier to do business and increase productivity; and
- Urgently finding solutions to address the issue of access and affordability of insurance for tourism operators.
Media release – Tabatha Badger MP, Greens Parks and Public Land spokesperson, 5 March 2025
Another Cradle Cableway Cost Blowout
The Liberals’ latest request for Federal Government handouts for the fanciful Cradle Mountain Cableway raise questions about further cost increases and the whereabouts of the revised business plan.
On Monday, the Premier announced the Liberals are seeking a 80/20 funding split between the Federal and State governments respectively, and that the ask from Canberra is $180m.
If $180m is 80% of the total costs for the Cableway, it seems the latest price tag for the project is $225m.
The Liberals must make the revised Cableway business plan, which State Growth said was underway in the 2024 Budget Estimates, public.
From 2016 the cost of this proposal has skyrocketed from $60m to well in excess of $200m. This huge and nonessential cash splash cannot be justified – especially as our Parks staff are rightfully anxious about newly announced public sector recruitment freezes and cuts.
This Cableway will not ensure the conservation of public land and the Wilderness World Heritage Area for future generation, but Parks staff will.
Tasmania needs to walk away from the Cradle Cableway and invest instead into Parks and Wildlife resourcing.
Barry Dee
March 3, 2025 at 16:03
It’s quite simple really –
We, the insatiably wanting, want to have a license to continue the unsustainable and destructive practices of the past – even if we have to subsidise most of them to make it profitable.
We also want as much money as you can possibly give us because we are still getting the hang of this whole budget-control thingy!
We want the money to be given to the tokenistic and meaningless projects that will fill our pockets – and the rest of you can go squawk!
Roderick
March 3, 2025 at 17:18
Team Tasmania – surely you jest, Jeremy. Who in their right mind would want to join a team such as yours?
As the Team Leader you have been a shining example of wastefulness, profligacy, environmental ignorance, deceit, opacity, indifference, lies, dictatorial impositions, secret deals and refusals to address the major issues of concern to the Tasmanian populace.
Give that Team the Order of the Boot!
Roderick
March 3, 2025 at 20:20
I note that a request from the Premier’s Team Tasmania is for thirty million dollars for an expanded seating capacity for a basketball team owned by an American multimillionaire.
The estimated cost of the stadium already exceeds seventy million dollars to enable a “Tasmanian Team” sport in usurping public funds for the benefit of a wealthy owner. How much more of Tasmania’s increasingly depleted funds will Jeremy gift to wealthy developers?
Ted Mead
March 4, 2025 at 09:01
Nothing has changed in the last half a millennium – it’s just as Erasmus quoted in 1509!
“The less talent they have, the more pride, vanity and arrogance they have.
All these fools, however, find other fools that applaud them.”
Thinker
March 6, 2025 at 12:44
It seems that Erasmus had an incisive premonition about Trump’s limitless arrogance – and America’s huge population of voting fools.
Spot on, Erasmus!