Building a stronger economy by working together 26 July 2023

Tas Labor

A Tasmanian Labor government will work together with businesses and industry to build a stronger economy and a better future for all Tasmanians.

Labor has been meeting with and listening to Tasmanian businesses and industry representatives and is committed to working with them to put the fundamentals in place to create an advanced and diversified economy.

One of the biggest issues we have heard from so many businesses is skyrocketing power prices, and the need for Tasmanian prices for Tasmanian power.

Labor has already announced that we will cap power prices at 2.5 per cent a year for all household and regulated businesses as well as re-establishing the electricity rebate scheme that was in place in 2018.

Today I also announce that Labor is committed to fixing the impediments to wind farm approvals within our first term in government.

Labor will also address the difficulty of getting developments off the ground by removing barriers related to water, sewerage and power infrastructure – adding to our policy to stimulate construction of 1,000 new rental properties by cutting in half the land tax payable on build-to-rent developments.

With Tasmania still having the poorest education outcomes in the country, Labor will work with industry to recruit more TAFE teachers and support current teachers to spend more time in industry, to address the teacher shortage and allow TAFE to be more responsive to the needs of industry and students.

This is in addition to our plan to provide scholarships to enable an additional 500 Tasmanians to go to university each year.

Only Labor has a plan for Tasmania-first energy prices, to get rid of the barriers to development, to boost the skills and capacity of our workforce and to support the industries that have helped get us where we are today – and we will do it by working together.

Rebecca White MP

Tasmanian Labor Leader

/Public Release. View in full here.