Latest news with #TasmanianGovernment
ABC News
4 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
New Bridgewater Bridge opens to thousands of interested walkers after completion
The most expensive transport infrastructure project in Tasmania's history, the new Bridgewater Bridge, has opened to the public after more than two years of construction. Located north of Hobart's CBD and spanning 1.2 kilometres over the River Derwent, the bridge replaces ageing infrastructure built more than 70 years ago and a causeway built by convicts in the 1830s. Built for $786 million, including almost $629 million from the federal government, the project has been spruiked by the Tasmanian government as the largest infrastructure project to be undertaken in the state. It has taken years for the concept to be developed and works begun, with the project originally estimated to cost $576 million. Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the bridge represented a significant investment in Tasmania's future and was "a source of great pride". "The new four-lane bridge will deliver faster, more reliable travel times for commuters, freight operators and locals, significantly reducing bottlenecks on this key section of the highway network," Mr Rockliff said. Ahead of the bridge opening to traffic on Monday morning, thousands of Tasmanians had registered their interest to cross it on foot over the course of Sunday. Some attendees shared the premier's sense of pride at the bridge's completion, while others expressed relief it had finally been finished. "I've been here long enough to see this from the start," Tala Foley said. "The new bridge has been delivered on time and on budget," Mr Rockliff said. "Since construction began in October 2022, the project has supported around 1,000 jobs, more than 25 per cent of which were employees from the local area." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also attended the bridge opening, in his first visit to Tasmania since last month's federal election. "A bridge connects people and it connects communities. "This is ... a great example of cooperation between the federal government and the Tasmanian government and local communities delivering for local communities, delivering jobs in the short-term." The bridge will open to vehicle traffic on Monday morning. However, works at the site will continue for another few weeks. In a statement, Mr Rockliff said those works would include landscaping, construction of a new roundabout linking Old Main Road and Gunn Street, and the removal of the temporary bridge and barges. The new Bridgewater Bridge is the fifth bridge to span this particular part of the River Derwent, and has been a conceptual project for two decades. The new design includes improved safety features for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists and a higher clearance to improve access for the limited marine traffic at this part of the river. The structure it replaces is a steel lift bridge. According to Tasmania's Department of State Growth, in recent years the lift-span bridge's ageing infrastructure has become "unsafe, unreliable, and expensive to maintain". Project manager Ben Malone told ABC Radio Hobart it was time to farewell the existing bridge, which includes a lifting mechanism. "Now we are able to allow those larger vessels to freely move up and down stream," he said. "The old bridge is at the end of its functional life. "It has served the community well since it was opened back in 1946."
ABC News
7 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
The Tasmanian budget has been handed down. What's in it?
The Tasmanian government has released its 2025-26 state budget, which paints a picture of a challenging economic environment. New investments for this year's budget and over the next four years include more than $1 billion for health services, including to support "demand pressures" and improve elective surgery wait times. Schools will receive additional funding, largely because of a funding agreement signed with the federal government. About $100 million in additional funding is being allocated to Tasmania Police, the Tasmanian Prison Service and Community Corrections. Let's have a look at some of the main spending commitments. Education Education graphic for 2025 Tasmanian budget coverage Over the next four years, the government says it will invest $9.9 billion into education, which is about 24 per cent of government expenditure. It is a 5 per cent increase in funding for education, largely due to additional federal money through the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement. It is enabling increased supports given to all schools to improve literacy and a new school staff wellbeing program. Over the next four years, 23 schools will share in $296 million for capital upgrades. Children and young people Children and young people graphic for 2025 Tasmanian budget As the government continues implementing recommendations from the child sexual abuse commission of inquiry, there are some funding increases for services for children and families. There is additional funding for out-of-home care and for the advice and referral line. The budget also includes additional funding of $105.3 million over four years for the development of youth justice centres to replace the Ashley Youth Detention Centre (AYDC), which the government hopes to close by early 2028. The funding for 2024-25 for youth justice has also been revised up to cover additional costs for the AYDC and costs related to civil litigation. Health Updated hospitals graphics for use in 2025 Tasmanian budget stories. The government has allocated $3.5 billion, or 34 per cent of its total expenditure, to health in this year's budget. There are no new infrastructure investment projects for health announced in the budget. A new four-year plan to increase elective surgery capacity and to reduce wait times has been allocated $16 million. The current elective surgery plan expires this year. Around $25 million will go towards the redevelopment of Tasmania's two major hospitals — $15 million to the Launceston General Hospital and $10 million to the Royal Hobart Hospital. $2.5 million is being invested to expand pharmacists' scope of practice, and the same amount to diagnostic breast screening projects. Mental health Mental health graphic for use in 2025 Tasmanian budget stories. ( ) The Devonport Mental Health Hub did not receive any funding in this year's budget, but the government has indicated it will allocate $3.8 million for it in the following financial year. Mental health beds at the Royal Hobart Hospital have been allocated $3.8 million. They were initially meant to be temporary, but will remain in place due to the closure of the St Helens Private Hospital. The beds were established to meet demand before the opening of the Hobart-based Peacock Centre which provides intensive mental health support in the community. A further $16 million has been allocated towards the construction of 15 new beds at the St John's Park precinct in Hobart, which is expected to be completed by 2027, and 12 new beds at the Peacock Centre. Additional funding for St John's Park includes $300,000 to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Inpatient Unit and Day Facility and $40 million to the Older Persons Mental Health Facility. Law and order Law and Order graphic for use in 2025 Tasmanian budget stories. ( ) Spending on law and order has increased by 7 per cent to $3.8 billion. It includes more than $100 million to support police and emergency service workers and the Tasmanian Prison Service and Community Corrections. The budget includes more than $3.7 million in protective equipment, including hand-held metal detector wands, the trial of tasers for police officers, and more body-worn cameras. The government says it is also investing in programs that aim to break the cycle of offending and help offenders with rehabilitation. Cost of living Cost of living logo for 2025 Tasmanian budget categories breakdown. This year, Tasmanian households will receive a $60 credit on their power bill. Food relief programs will share in $6.7 million, and half-price bus fares will continue for school children from regional areas. Housing Housing graphic for use in 2025 Tasmanian budget stories. ( ) Five new units will be added at the Hobart Women's Shelter, using funds from the federal government. There is $467,000 to relocate residents at Indigo Lodge in Launceston while the roof is replaced. A business case will be developed for Homes Tasmania to complete technological improvements. Homes Tasmania has $488,000 per year for a social housing maintenance fund, and $5.2 million for property holding costs in 2025-26, rising to $6.5 million by 2028-29. The budget notes there has been a slight improvement in rental affordability in the past two years, with the average Tasmanian renter spending 26.6 per cent of their income on rent, compared with up to 30 per cent in 2022. Aboriginal affairs Aboriginal affairs category for 2025 Tasmanian budget Closing the Gap and "other Aboriginal projects" have been allocated $1.4 million in this budget. This is included in the total expenditure for Aboriginal Affairs which is $2.8 million. The government says the money will help continue the work of implementing the national Closing the Gap commitments. The funding also includes $880,000 over two years for the appointment of Aboriginal truth-telling and healing commissioners, which was announced earlier this week, when the government revealed it was withdrawing from the treaty process. Public servants The government wants to see a reduction in government employees as a proportion of the Tasmanian population. In 2024-25, they constitute 5,728 out of 100,000 people. By 2032-33, the government hopes to reduce this to 2022 levels — 5,315 out of 100,000. Government agencies were asked to find $50 million in savings as part of an "efficiency dividend" in 2024-25, increasing to $150 million per year in 2026-27. Heads of agencies will be tasked with finding these savings until 2026-27, when an external Efficiency and Productivity Unit carries it out. The government describes these as "evidence-based savings and performance improvements", including technological changes and "better management practices". Tourism and events Tourism graphic for use in 2025 Tasmanian budget stories. ( ) The budget includes an additional $57 million over the next four years with the aim of ensuring Tasmania remains a "destination of choice" for visitors. The budget includes $62 million for events including Dark Mofo, the Taste of Summer, the Wooden Boat Festival, Tasmanian Craft Fair and the Bicheno Food and Wine Festival, as well as "off-season" events and some regional events. There is also funding for an upgrade to Princes Wharf No. 1 Shed, which is a regularly-used event venue on Hobart's waterfront. Sport Sport graphic for use in 2025 Tasmanian budget stories. ( ) More than $40 million has been earmarked for "new southern Tasmanian sporting facilities". This is understood to include previously earmarked funding for the JackJumpers high-performance centre at Kingston, funding for the $28 million Glenorchy multi-sport facility and also $2 million for gymnastics. A further $7 million has been allocated to a "legacy precinct" at Devonport, including the new Devonport indoor stadium and other community sporting facilities. Funding commitments toward a revamp of the Silverdome, Elphin Sports Centre and a northern sports hub in Launceston remain in place. However, a $12.5 million funding request for a new Home for Hobart basketball facility at New Town appears to have been ignored so far. The government will continue to sponsor the JackJumpers, Hawthorn AFL club and state cricket teams via a combined $11.6 million over the next two years. There is also $1.5 million towards Tasmanian Institute of Sport talent identification over the next three years. Stadium Stadium graphic for use in 2025 Tasmanian budget stories. ( ) Funding for the Macquarie Point stadium is unchanged, except for a $13 million grant to the Macquarie Point Development Corporation for "operating support" over the next two years. Capital contributions from the state government, federal government and the AFL towards the stadium are spread across the next three years, including $65.5 million this year, $158.2 million next year and $378.3 million in 2027-28. That equates to a total of $602 million, with the full cost of the stadium estimated at $945 million. The stadium is currently costed at $945 million. The looming funding shortfall will then be borrowed through the Macquarie Point Development Corporation, once that initial funding of $602 million has been exhausted. The government still intends to sell off parcels of the broader Macquarie Point precinct to help pay down any loan once the stadium development has progressed. However, the stadium must still be approved by both houses of parliament, via a vote that is expected to take place in July. The parliament will vote on whether or not to pass special legislation that will grant the Macquarie Point Development Corporation a planning permit for the stadium. There is also $110 million of combined government and AFL funding for the Devils High Performance Centre to be built at Kingston. About $25 million of that will flow this year, before a $60 million injection next year and a further $25 million in 2027-28. Roads and transport Transport graphic for use in 2025 Tasmanian budget stories. ( ) The government will spend $2.3 million on public transport in the next financial year. Overall, $14 million has been allocated for infrastructure and transport services delivery, which is a decrease of about $4 million from last financial year. Some of the projects include: $200,000 for road repairs following the severe weather event in August 2024 $200,000 for road repairs following the severe weather event in August 2024 The Southern Outlet Transit Lane extension project will see $1.2 million The Southern Outlet Transit Lane extension project will see $1.2 million $1 million towards the Murchison and Zeehan Highways $1 million towards the Murchison and Zeehan Highways The Northern Access Road — to service the Macquarie Point stadium precinct — will cost $76 million over the next three years Environment Environment graphic for 2025 Tasmanian budget coverage Parks will receive additional funding for wildfire suppression, and additional funding for operational costs. A tracking program for the endangered orange-bellied parrot will be funded to increase knowledge of the species' migration. The Environment Protection Authority will receive 350,000 each year for the next four years to upgrade air quality monitoring in Tasmania. It will also receive 1.5 million each year for four years to improve its information management systems, which the government says will enable the authority "to deliver better outcomes". Business Business 2025 Tasmanian budget for categories story The state government says it wants Tasmania to be the "number one place to do business" and the "start-up capital of the nation". To achieve this, the budget includes funding to continue the Small Business Growth Strategy 2026, which it is delivering with the Small Business Council of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The government is also continuing what it calls its "red tape reduction agenda", and its new permit system that will enable small businesses to trial their concept for 12 months with a single permit. The budget also includes several initiatives to support small businesses with advice and support. Privatisation Privatisation updated graphic 2025 Tasmanian budget Premier Jeremy Rockliff announced in his budget speech that six publicly-owned entities would not be privatised or divested: the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority, Tasracing, TASCORP, TasRail, Entura and the Public Trustee. It follows a review of public ownership by economist Saul Eslake, with a second report to be released at a later date which "may" suggest other suitable entities for privatisation or divestment. The government will also not pursue a merger of TasRail, TT-Line and TasPorts. This comes after a review by Deloitte Access Economics, which found that merging the entities is "unlikely to deliver a material benefit for Tasmania", including misaligned objectives and issues with competitive neutrality. Mr Rockliff ruled out selling off TT-Line.
ABC News
28-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Abalone cultural heritage acknowledged in Tasmania
Abalone has a forty-thousand-year cultural heritage in Tasmania and it's finally being recognised and revived. First Nations in Tasmania have secured permanent cultural fishing rights for abalone, and now they're putting it back on the dining tables of Tasmanians. Professor Emma Lee sees this fishing rights deal as a possible pathway to a treaty for Tasmania, because it's an example of Indigenous people, government, research and commercial collaborating for the greater good. But the Tasmanian Government just announced today that it's dropping its treaty plans and instead focusing on an Aboriginal-led truth-telling and healing process.
ABC News
27-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Tasmanian government to fund truth-telling commissioners but drop treaty process
The Tasmanian government will no longer pursue a treaty with Tasmanian Aboriginal people, instead funding the establishment of truth-telling and healing commissioners. The decision came four years after former premier Peter Gutwein announced the commencement of a truth-telling and treaty process. It led to the 2021 government-commissioned report, Pathway to Truth-Telling and Treaty, which made 24 recommendations, including that truth-telling and treaty work be done concurrently. However, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Jacquie Petrusma said the government would now focus solely on the truth-telling process. "Truth-telling is a necessary step which must run its course, so accordingly, the government will no longer progress treaty," Ms Petrusma said in a statement on Tuesday. This week's budget will include $880,000 over two years for the appointment of independent commissioners to guide an Aboriginal-led truth-telling and healing process. Ms Petrusma described it as a historic moment of recognition, respect and self-determination for Tasmanian Aboriginal people. "It is a critical and necessary step towards recognising past injustices, gaining a greater understanding of the contemporary challenges being faced by Tasmanian Aboriginal people, and making real progress in healing the wounds of the past," she said. She said the government would now work with Tasmanian Aboriginal people to appoint the commissioners, and on the process beyond that. The funding announcement has been welcomed by some Aboriginal organisations, but the decision to not progress with a treaty has disappointed others. Rodney Dillon, who is on the Tasmanian Aboriginal Advisory Group for Truth-telling and Treaty, said the move to appoint Tasmanian Aboriginal commissioners was the right approach. "We've had 200 and something years of colonisation and this is the first time we've taken that step, so that's how big and how significant it is," Mr Dillon told the ABC. "I think it's a good step for Aboriginal people." He said it was important to go through the truth-telling process before moving to a treaty. "Some people will want a treaty first and I can understand that," he said. "But I don't think you can have a treaty without some truth-telling first and the reason why you need a treaty. "And I think that you can take a look around the country, and perhaps around the world where we've had treaties and never put anything in front of them, a lot of them have fallen over. "So I think this is a good foundation to go ahead in the future." The funding for truth-telling commissioners was supported by the Tasmanian Regional Aboriginal Communities Alliance (TRACA). The Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania (ALCT) also expressed its support for the funding. "For more than 200 years, Tasmanian Aboriginal people have endured and resisted policies of dispossession, forced removal and cultural suppression," ALCT chair Greg Brown said in a statement. However, Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre chief executive Heather Sculthorpe said she was disappointed the government would no longer follow through with a treaty. She accused the government of "playing tricks". "I cannot see any way our community is going to buy that," she said. The government's budget includes a total of $4.4 million over four years for Closing the Gap commitments, including continued funding for peak Aboriginal organisations, as well as additional funding for the ALCT.
ABC News
26-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Tasmanian government releases Macquarie Point stadium legislation, as cost rises by $170 million
Draft legislation that would enable a stadium to be built at Macquarie Point in Hobart, has been released for public consultation. The Tasmanian government has also updated the cost estimate for the stadium, saying it was now estimated to be $945 million, up from its previous figure of $775 million. The stadium proposal is being assessed by the Tasmanian Planning Commission as a project of state significance, but the government wants to pull out of that process and instead give the parliament the only say on whether the stadium will be built. A roofed stadium at Macquarie Point is a condition of Tasmania's AFL licence. Business, Industry and Resources Minister Eric Abetz said the government was confident the legislation "provides the necessary details for the parliament to provide their support". "The government has reviewed and acknowledged the concerns and challenges raised within the draft Integrated Assessment Report by the Tasmanian Planning Commission," Minister Abetz said. "This draft bill and subsequent planning conditions addresses these points and demonstrate the efforts by the government to ensure the legislation is comprehensive. Mr Abetz said the permit included conditions requiring "subject and site-specific expert management plans to be finalised and submitted to the relevant regulator for approval before construction or operations" can start. He said that was standard practice for commercial development approval. The government has also agreed to a request from the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (TSO) to soundproof the Federation Concert Hall. The TSO asked for $4.45 million. Mr Abetz said the total cost of the stadium was now estimated to be $945 million. He said the figure incorporated "improvements that will enhance the stadium user experience to better cater for a wide range of planned uses, including helping facilitate cricket at the venue".
