Securing Tasmania’s Future by Supporting the East Coast

a majority liberal government will:

  • Invest $14 million towards the development of a new Visitor Gateway adjacent to the Freycinet National Park.
  • Provide $6.8 million for Stage 3 of the Maria Island Re-Discovered project.
  • Build a new St Helens Police Station, with an investment of $7.5 million.
  • Increase aeromedical support with a new helipad for the East Coast, to be located near the new St Helens Hospital, with an investment of $300,000.
  • Boost the number of permanent paramedics on the East Coast by 40 per cent.We will make permanent the two new paramedics put in place in Swansea during COVID-19, and recruit an additional two paramedics for St Helens, with an investment of $2.1 million over four years.
  • Provide $560,000 over four years for additional staffing at the St Helens District Hospital, with $400,000 for upgraded equipment at the Hospital.
  • Provide $200,000 to both St Mary’s Community Health Centre and May Shaw at Swansea, for upgraded equipment, and also provide an additional $560,000 over four years to support additional staffing at May Shaw to help support demand for urgent care services in the area.
  • Commit $50,000 towards the compilation of a master plan for the East Coast visitor economy
  • Provide $1 million towards resurfacing Wielangta Road.
  • Deliver $600,000 in grants towards our State-wide electric vehicle charging network in our regions and key tourism destinations, including at Bicheno or Triabunna.
  • Develop a new Visitor Information Model, with the East Coast as the pilot.
  • Continue the $30 million investment into the Great Eastern Drive.

The Tasmanian Liberals are the strongest supporters of our regional communities.

We have worked hard to support the East Coast community and its plans for economic growth and job creation, to showcase its unique beauty as a key tourist destination.

Our support of the region continues, with further initiatives under a re-elected Majority Liberal Government including:

$14 million towards the development of a new Visitor Gateway adjacent to the Freycinet National Park

The Freycinet National Park has been one of the fastest growing and most popular tourism destinations in Tasmania.

We will continue to take the responsible approach of improving infrastructure to meet the existing demands, but also, and more importantly, take steps to ensure that the benefits of tourism do not compromise the natural, cultural and social values of the Freycinet Peninsula.

A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will provide an additional $14 million into this iconic tourism destination to develop a new Visitor Gateway adjacent to the National Park.

The Visitor Gateway will include:

  • New state of the art Visitor Centre facilities similar to the highly acclaimed and recently opened Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre.
  • A transport hub with a shuttle bus to the Wineglass Bay Car Park to minimise traffic and parking.
  • Realignment of the road to alleviate congestions on Freycinet Drive, and the impact on residents.

This will build on the investments already being delivered by the Liberal Government, including –

  • Improved wastewater treatment.
  • A second look out at Wineglass Bay.
  • A shared use track from the Freycinet National Park Visitor Centre, through to the Wineglass Bay car park.

Provide $6.8 million for Stage 3 of the Maria Island Re-Discovered project

The Liberal Government has already demonstrated its commitment to ensuring that Maria Island remains a unique and sought-after destination on the East Coast of Tasmania.

The Maria Island National Park is one of the key attractions in the lower East Coast area, driving the regional tourism economy.It is steadily increasing in visitation – growing 24 per cent in recent years.

A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will commit $6.8 million to Stage 3 of the Maria Island Re-Discovered project.

The infrastructure will provide ongoing certainty of experience to commercial operators and visitors to the island.

The investment will deliver:

  • Completion of new waste water treatment facilities including;
    • Improved, reliable electricity generation infrastructure and power connection to all buildings in the Darlington precinct.
    • Additional heritage building upgrades.
    • Improved rain water capture, storage and delivery assets.

This follows our $4 million investment into a wastewater transfer system, barge landing facilities and heritage works.

Build a new St Helens Police Station, with an investment of $7.5 million

As part of our long-term plan, the Liberal Government has delivered additional police officers to stations across the State, and will continue to do so.

Our officers need appropriate facilities in order to do their jobs.

The St Helens Police Station was constructed in 1975, and due to the increases in police numbers, this station also requires an upgrade to accommodate the additional allocation of officers provided under a Liberal Government.

A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will build a new Police Station at St Helens, investing $7.5 million.

Increase aeromedical support with a new helipad for the East Coast, to be located at the new St Helens Hospital, with an investment of $300,000

A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will construct a new permanent helipad for the new $12.1 million St Helens Hospital we built in 2019.

This additional investment of $300,000 will boost our aeromedical response capabilities to support the successful operation of the dedicated State-wide Helicopter Emergency Medical Service put in place by a Liberal Government, as well as delivery of new helipads at the Royal Hobart Hospital, Mersey and North-West Regional Hospitals over the past four years.

This critical infrastructure has been invaluable for Tasmanian communities, allowing seriously ill or injured patients to be transferred quickly from hospital, medical centres and places of injury or illness, to the best hospital for their needs.

With an increasing number of visitors to this region to use the popular mountain bike trails, this investment is a timely addition to our rural health infrastructure.

It is expected the helipad will be completed in 2022.

Boost the number of paramedics on the East Coast by 40 per cent

A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will boost the number of paramedics on the East Coast by 40 per cent by:

  • Making the two new paramedics put in place at Swansea during COVID-19 permanent.
  • Recruiting an additional two paramedics for St Helens.

This investment of $2.1 million over four years will assist ongoing rural and regional paramedic coverage for the wider East Coast region.

We will work closely with our volunteers to support the new local services.

Provide $560,000 over four years for additional staffing at the St Helens District Hospital, with $400,000 for upgraded equipment at the Hospital

A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will continue our investment into rural and regional hospitals, with an additional $560,000 over four years for extra staffing at the St Helens District Hospital.

We will work closely with key stakeholders to develop the best way to attract more health professionals to our regional communities, particularly those close to our world-class mountain biking tracks.

The new $12.1 million Hospital, built by a Liberal Government, will also be provided with $400,000 for upgraded equipment for the Hospital, helping in its response to trauma patients.

Provide $200,000 to both St Mary’s Community Health Centre and May Shaw at Swansea, for upgraded equipment, and also provide an additional $560,000 over four years to support additional staffing at May Shaw to help support demand for urgent care services in the area.

A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will provide $200,000 to the St Mary’s Community Health Centre, as well as $200,000 across May Shaw at Swansea, for upgraded equipment.

We will work closely with the local health services and community to determine the best equipment upgrades to support health services in these areas, and respond to local needs.

We will also provide an additional $560,000 over four years to support additional staffing at May Shaw in Swansea, to help support demand for urgent care services in the area.

Commit $50,000 towards the compilation of a master plan for the East Coast visitor economy

The Tasmanian Liberals recognise the uniqueness of our East Coast, and the opportunities and challenges as one of the State’s “must see” tourism destinations.

While tourism is an essential contributor to the Coast’s economy – and is the sixth most tourism industry dependent region in the country – it is absolutely vital that tourism works hand in glove with the needs of East Coast communities and does not compromise the quality of lifestyle that its residents enjoy.

That’s why a re-elected Majority Liberal Government will commit $50,000 towards a master plan that will consider the challenges and opportunities for the whole East Coast, to achieve the very best outcomes for both visitors and locals alike.

The master plan will be formulated in collaboration with the Break O’Day Council, the Glamorgan Spring Bay Council, the East Coast Regional Tourism Organisation, and the East Coast community.

Provide $1 million towards the resurfacing of Wielangta Road

Wielangta Road is an attractive forest drive connecting Orford to Kellevie Road and the Arthur Highway, providing a picturesque scenic drive into the tourism hotspots on the east coast.

A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will invest $1 million towards resurfacing Wielangta Road.

This investment is great news for tourism in the Lyons electorate and is another marker in our commitment to upgrading our regional infrastructure.

The Government will continue to strategically invest in tourism infrastructure as it will help the industry grow while creating jobs and adding to the economy.

Deliver $600,000 in grants towards our State-wide electric vehicle charging network in our regions and key tourism destinations

More and more Tasmanians and visitors want to take advantage of Tasmania’s low cost, renewable and reliable electricity by driving an Electric Vehicle (EV).

To get more Tasmanians behind the wheel of an EV, a re-elected Majority Liberal Government will provide a further $600,000 in grants towards fast-charging and destination stations in regional Tasmanian locations and key tourism destinations not currently well serviced with charging infrastructure.

This investment builds on our previous ChargeSmart Program which has supported 12 fast chargers and over 20 destination and workplace chargers, and it also complements Australian Government funding of around $400,000 ear-marked for the Greater Hobart area as part of the Future Fuels Strategy.

Previous ChargeSmart Fast Charging locations include; New Norfolk, St Helens, Swansea, Burnie, Campbell Town, Scottsdale, Queenstown and Derwent Bridge.

Possible additional locations are Bicheno and Triabunna.

Develop a new Visitor Information Model, with the East Coast as the pilot, with a new investment of $1 million

Today’s travellers are discerning and better informed than ever about the destinations they are travelling to.

A critical competitive element in motivating people to commit and then maximise their time in a region is access to current, accurate and comprehensive information in an easily-accessible manner.

The model must both cater to the needs of travellers prior to arrival, and during their visit to our State.

A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will commit $1 million over two years to a develop a new Visitor digital information model that is easily promotable, accessible on all technology channels, and is consistent with our existing visitor information centres.

The East Coast will be the pilot for this project.

Continue the $30 million investment into the Great Eastern Drive

In June 2015 the Tasmanian Government launched a self-drive touring route along Tasmania’s East Coast called the Great Eastern Drive (GED) – a 176km stretch of scenic road from Orford to St Helens.

The Tasmanian Government has committed $30 million over five years to the Great Eastern Drive upgrade program on the Taman Highway, and a further $4.5 million to upgrade Binalong Bay Road as part of our $72 million Roads Package to Support Tasmania’s Visitor Economy.

The initiative has been hugely successful since its inception, contributing to an increase in visitors to Tasmania’s East Coast.

A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will continue to deliver this upgrade program, with the $8.3 million overtaking lanes between St Helens and Diana’s Basin currently under construction, and a further $13 million of upgrades along the Great Eastern Drive scheduled to be delivered between now and mid-2022.

Our Great Eastern Drive Action Plan is improving overall safety and travel reliability along this key touring route, and at the last election we also committed an additional $4.5 million to extend the route to Binalong Bay Road.These works have recently commenced and will continue until mid-2022.

All of these works on the Great Eastern Drive are part of our commitment to ensuring Tasmania’s reputation as a premium destination is protected, for locals and visitors alike.

In addition, the Liberal Government has already announced support to benefit the East Coast, including:

  • Delivering a Jobs Hub at St Helens under our Local Jobs for Local People policy with outreach to include the greater East Coast and North-East, helped by a $2 million Job Ready Fund for essential tools for job seekers, expanding Area Connect Service where no easy transport options exist, and a $400,000 Worker Connect Portal linking business and job seekers.
  • $8 million for a new Events Support and Attraction Fund to secure existing events and festivals, and attract new, exciting events for Tasmania.
  • An investment of an additional $98.5 million into TasTAFE over the next four years, with 100 extra teachers, and critical upgrades, including new student accommodation, with $16 million to increase access to training for rural and regional students.
  • $315 million into social and affordable housing initiatives across the State, bringing the total investment to over $615 million over seven years, including the current year – a record investment by any government in Tasmania.
  • $2 million grant fund for new and upgraded facilities and amenities for recreational sea fishing, and $3 million to support the fisheries sector.
  • A 50% increase in annual funding to arts organisations and a $200,000 small grants program for the ‘gig’ economy.
  • Doubling the value of our successful Ticket to Play Voucher Program, a $10 million investment in sporting facilities, and $10 million for solar grants sports club loans.
  • Providing a $10 million Solar Power Sports Club no-interest loan scheme.
  • A boost in the First Home Owners Grant from $20,000 to $30,000 from 31 March 2021.
  • Investment of a further $18 million to ensure our communities are bushfire safe and support our career firefighters and 5,600 volunteers in our fire brigades and State Emergency Service Units around the State.
  • Extending our School Lunch pilot to 30 schools, with a $1.4 million investment, and delivering over $3 million in emergency food relief and food security funding to help the most vulnerable.
  • Protecting the 5700 jobs currently employed in and supported by the forestry sector and creating more than 300 new jobs with a special $10 million fund over five years to support on-island processing and value-adding.
  • Accelerate our agriculture sector with a further investment of almost $50 million to propel the sector towards our bold target of an annual farmgate value of $10 billion by 2050, supporting rural and regional communities and creating even more jobs.
  • Investment of $5 million for Tasmanian Irrigation to develop a business case to deliver the largest irrigation scheme Tasmania has ever seen-the South East extension scheme.
  • Delivering a reduction in land tax of up to $613 per annum to nearly 70,000 land tax payers, including thousands of shack owners. This will also mean an extra, 4,100 Tasmanians will not pay land tax in the year ahead.
  • Building a “High Vis” Army with a 25% increase in jobs by working with the Civil Contractors Federation and Master Builders Tasmania to attract more workers to the industry.
  • Delivering a $5 billion infrastructure program over the next 4 years, which is expected to support around 25,000 jobs. Of this, $2.4 billion will be invested in roads and bridge upgrades.
  • Slashing elective surgery waiting lists and deliver an additional 22,300 elective surgeries and endoscopies State-wide, by investing an additional $120 million for a total investment of $156.4 million to deliver a record program of elective surgery.
  • Provide an additional 20,000 dental appointments State-wide, across emergency dental, general dental care and denture clinics.
  • MOU with the RFDS to provide long-term health services for regional Tasmania.
  • Strengthening palliative and community health care with an additional $52.0 million for in-home and local community-delivered services.

Current work underway right now:

  • $50,000 to St Helens Golf Club towards irrigation system upgrade.
  • $199,000 to St Helens Football Club for a lighting upgrade.
  • $500,000 to MAST towards a 30-50 metre extension to the rock breakwater at Coles Bay.
  • $600,000 for St Mary’s District School for year 11 and 12 works, including provision of a technology and arts space.
  • $8.3 million overtaking lanes on Tasman Highway between St Helens and Diana's Basin.
  • Continued safety upgrades to Tasman Highway as part of our $30 million Great Eastern Drive program, with works underway at numerous locations between Bicheno and Orford.
  • $4.5 million in upgrades to Binalong BayRoad, with works started.
  • Construction of a new $10 million bridge over the Apsley River.
  • $300,000 for the wukalina Walking Track.
  • $660,000 for co-designed employment project entitled Break O’Day Connect.
  • $1.84 million to Rural Alive and Well for mental health outreach.
  • $531,000 for school revitalisation including Bicheno Primary School, Orford Primary School, St Helens District High School, Swansea Primary School, Triabunna District High School and St Mary’s District School.
  • Additional police officer allocated to St Marys and St Helens.
  • New Maria Island and Ile De Phoque Management Plan.
  • Better Boat Trailer Parking Project at Swansea.
  • Freycinet National Park Wastewater Lagoons upgrade.
  • Freycinet National Park new Foreshore track.
  • $1.5 million improved camping infrastructure on the East Coast.
  • 29 new social homes in the pipeline.
  • $150,000 for Rural Relief Fund to assist those in hardship.
  • $20,000 for TFGA Tasmanian Fodder Register.
  • $150,000 for Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture to assist drought affected farmers.
  • $350,000 in targeted drought weed management support.
  • DPIPWE workshops and practical support with on-farm and catchment-wide water management strategies.
  • Design and development of the 12,600ML Fingal irrigation Scheme.
  • Prefeasibility work for South East Integration Project.
  • $3.5 million improved mobile phone coverage for the Great Eastern Drive, due for completion by end of 2021.

Our record in Government:

  • Extended successful East Coast Rock Lobster translocation program.
  • Projects to reduce the Centrostephanus Urchin (Long Spined Sea Urchin) population on the East Coast.
  • Deliver of seven-day-a week bus services including Bicheno, Coles Bay, Swansea and from Bicheno travelling to Hobart through Sorell.
  • $130,000 to the St Helens Volunteer Marine Rescue Unit for base extensions to accommodate the St Helens Game Fishing Club.
  • $1.4 million to develop tourist drive journeys.
  • $12.1 million St Helens Hospital Redevelopment Project.
  • $4 million improved parks infrastructure on Maria Island.
  • $685,000 towards the replacement of derelict jetties at Georges Bay.
  • $50,000 to the St Helens Neighbourhood House Association Inc towards the THRIVE Community Market Garden.
  • $100,000 to Triabunna District School for a major refurbishment as part of our Kindergarten program.
  • $100,000 to St Helen’s District School for major refurbishment.
  • $800,000 for major refurbishment at Triabunna District School for a new learning area, amenity upgrades and extra car parking.
  • Over $1 million spent on police housing upgrades in Swansea, Orford, Triabunna, and Bicheno.
  • Over $1.1 m for volunteer grants at volunteer fire stations including Fingal, Scamander, Binalong Bay, Ansons Bay, Coles Bay, St Marys, St Helens, Falmouth, Bicheno, and Triabunna.
  • Second lookout at Wineglass Bay in the Freycinet National Park.
  • Delivery of the 2,000 ML Swan Irrigation Scheme to farmers on the East Coast.
  • $130,000 over two years to expand the St Helens Volunteer Marine Rescue base.
  • $100,000 new breakwater at Binalong Bay.
  • Replacement of the Cunningham Street and Talbot Street jetties.
  • $450,000 for four new Fishing Aggregation Devices in region.
  • Upgrade to the St Helens Ambulance Station.
  • Additional funding for Break O'Day Enterprise Centre Tasmania.
  • $9.9 million in completed Great Eastern Drive upgrade projects.
  • $1.5 million replacement of Halfway Creek Bridge on the Tasman Highway.
  • $4 million replacement of Doctors Creek Bridge on the Tasman Highway.
  • Better boat trailer parking project at Coles Bay.

Costings:

Securing Tasmania's Future by investing $35 million into Parks infrastructure and supporting the East Coast.