The Hodgman Liberal Government’s number one priority is jobs.
While there is still a lot of work to do, today’s ABS regional employment figures show that under our long-term Plan, jobs are being created right around the State.
It’s good news to see that even though the North-West has been affected by the Caterpillar decision and high commodity prices, 2,000 jobs have been created over the past 12 months.
While it’s good to see that 1,300 jobs have been created in the North, we know that the economy hasn’t recovered as quickly in the North or North-West as it has in other areas of the State.
That’s why we are delivering a $315 million job creation package, including the $60 million Northern Cities Major Development initiative.
Regional unemployment rates are also coming down. The North has seen a 1.4 percentage point reduction, from eight per cent in June 2014 to 6.6 per cent in June 2015.
The unemployment rate in the South is now 6.6 per cent, down from seven per cent in June 2014, with 3,800 new jobs created in that time.
The unemployment rate on the North-West Coast has been consistently under eight per cent for most of this year and is currently at 7.8 per cent, a full one percentage point improvement in the last 12 months.
Tasmania is now heading in the right direction, with our economy growing, retail trade at record highs, a strong building and construction sector and, importantly, the highest business confidence and conditions in the country.
It’s critically important now that we consolidate the gains of the past 12 months, and build on the growing momentum.
Peter Gutwein, Treasurer
