Statement on Toll freight service

Michael Ferguson,Minister for Infrastructure and Transport

The Tasmanian Government has welcomed news that freight will now start moving at Webb Dock in Melbourne.

The announcement follows a marathon eight hour hearing in the Fair Work Commission Friday night, which was to deal with union action that was hurting Tasmanian businesses and jobs.

The Fair Work Commission issued orders against this MUA-backed action so Tasmanian producers and exporters should now start to see the backlog of goods moving in and out of Tasmania.

Shamefully, Labor didn’t lift a finger, sat back and complicitly backed their Victorian union mates over Tasmanian jobs and businesses.

It doesn’t matter who’s at the helm of the Labor party, whether it’s the official Opposition Leader, Rebecca White, or the alternate shadow leader, David O’Byrne, they always back union demands over the Tasmanian economy, business growth and local jobs and families.

Meanwhile, the Tasmanian majority Liberal Government worked constructively with Toll, industry groups and other shippers, including TT-Line, to ensure as much freight as possible could be moved through the available capacity.

The Tasmanian majority Liberal Government will always back local jobs and businesses as we recognise the positive impact maintaining a strong economy has on the livelihoods of Tasmanian families.

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