Buy Local Policy supporting jobs and our economy

Jane Howlett,Minister for Small Business

The Tasmanian Liberal Government is supporting local businesses to create jobs and stimulate our economy.

Our Buy Local policy, which includes a Local Benefit Test aimed at growing businesses and jobs by ensuring local firms have every chance of winning Government tenders, is doing exactly as it was intended to do.

Local small to medium businesses are winning Government work in record numbers, with Tas Hotel and Catering Supplies one of the latest to benefit from the policy. It was one of four successful suppliers who were awarded a government tender to provide a range of meal delivery systems and services to the Tasmanian Health Service, a contract worth $1.3 million.

Our Buy Local policy target is for 90 per cent of all government contracts to be awarded to Tasmanian-based businesses by 2022.

We are well and truly on track to meet this target with 85.6 per cent of Tasmanian businesses winning open government contracts in the March quarter – that’s $140.3 million worth of contracts helping to stimulate the Tasmanian economy.

This is compared to just 60 per cent under the former Labor-Green Government in the March 2014 quarter.

Through supporting our proud local businesses, like Tas Hotel and Catering Supplies, the Tasmanian Liberal Government is is ensuring more taxpayer money stays in Tasmania, contributing to jobs for Tasmanians, and further fuelling our growing economy.

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