Racing Minister must provide update on TOTE sale - 11 November 2009

The Racing Minister must today provide an update on the status of the TOTE sale.

On the 11th September Mr Aird announced that his tender process for TOTE had collapsed, but said that it was “still for sale”.

At that time, Mr Aird also said that “the sale of TOTE will only proceed if it provides the best return for the Tasmanian community.”

That was two months ago. In that time, we’ve had nothing but the sound of silence from Mr Aird on the issue.

The Tasmanian community – particularly our racing community – deserve to know:

Is TOTE still for sale? Have any offers or firm expressions of interest been made? When can we expect an outcome?

Or has the sale collapsed due to Labor’s bungling and ineptitude, just as we warned it would?

Michael Aird betrayed the racing industry by breaking a promise not to sell TOTE.

Has he now broken another promise and now intends to sell it for a fire-sale price?

 

Farm Aid - 9 November 2009

Our dairy farmers have been doing it very tough with slashed milk prices and appalling seasonal conditions but the Circular Head Chronicle’s excellent practical initiative will go a long way to assisting Circular Head farmers to purchase grass seed for pasture regeneration.

I have written to the Premier, David Bartlett, requesting the State Government match donations to the Circular Head Chronicle’s Farm Aid fundraising project on a dollar for dollar basis.

My understanding is that the funds so far donated have already been committed and a matching contribution from the State Government would not only be fully utilised but also very much valued.

We need to do all we can to get our farmers back on their feet and their businesses in a sustainable situation and I am calling on the State Government to commit to assisting through Farm Aid.

 

O’Byrne ignores land tax plight of tourism and hospitality operators - 4 November 2009

Tourism Minister Michelle O’Byrne has today confirmed she has done - and will do - nothing to help ease the massive increases in land tax tourism and hospitality operators are now facing.

Tourism and hospitality operators say that these hikes will cost jobs.

Yet all the Minister can do is mouth platitudes.

Michelle O’Byrne might have a new letterhead, but it clearly means nothing when it comes to fighting for small businesses within the hospitality and tourism sector.

Only the Liberals have a plan to cut land-tax and ease the burden.

 

Labor luminary backs Liberals’ four-lane Midland Highway plan - 2 November 2009

Former state Labor Minister Dr Julian Amos has become the latest person to publicly support the Tasmanian Liberals’ visionary plan for a four-land Midland Highway.

“a dual carriageway has to come if the population and motoring traffic is increasing” ( The Examiner, Monday 2 November)

As Chairman of the Forest Industries Association of Tasmania Mr Amos knows what we all know – safety on the road will be vastly improved with a four-lane highway, particularly with traffic freight volumes forecast to increase by 70 percent by 2030.

Mr Amos joins all the Midland Highway Mayors, the RACT, the Federal Coalition, and the Legislative Council in supporting our plan.

It seems the only people left in Tasmania who oppose it are Mr Bartlett and the Parliamentary Labor Party.

 

Libs Global Navigation Satellite System Policy for farmers has wider benefits and must be part of State Infrastructure Plan - 1 November 2009

• A Hodgman Liberal Government will establish a network of base stations across Tasmania so farmers can use GPS technology for precision farming that brings greater efficiencies and a lower carbon footprint
• The Policy will have wider application for other government and industry sectors including Infrastructure planning and development, emergency services, construction and mining
• Global Navigation Satellite System network must be part of infrastructure plan for Tasmania

The Liberal policy initiative to establish Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) infrastructure around the state to help Tasmanian achieve its agricultural potential can also deliver significant benefits across the Tasmanian government and industry sector, and should be a key plank of any comprehensive infrastructure plan for Tasmania.

This new $1 million policy initiative was launched last week by the Leader of the State Opposition, Will Hodgman and will establish a network of GPS base-stations across the Tasmania that would put Tasmanian farmers at the cutting edge of new technology; enabling them to boost productivity, use water more efficiently, and reduce chemical, fertiliser and fuel inputs, as well as their carbon footprint.

However development of such infrastructure will also have wider application for other government and industry sectors including Infrastructure planning and development, emergency services, bushfire management, construction and civil engineering, mining, forestry and disaster monitoring and management.

The Tasmanian Liberals will determine the requirements to build a high accuracy satellite positioning network across Tasmania that will be able to pinpoint a position and height above sea level anywhere in Tasmania, reduce the cost of entry to high accuracy positioning and navigation, and provide an official state reference standard for the measurement of position in Tasmania.
 
The state government must include this Liberal Policy initiative in its long awaited infrastructure plan for Tasmania.