A majority Liberal Government will:
- Drive value-adding investment in Tasmania’s mining sector, securing more than 5,100 jobs and creating an environment to support new investment and deliver more jobs in regional Tasmania.
- Extend our co-funded Exploration Drilling Grants Initiative to 2025 by investing $1.5 million.
- Provide $2 million to a refreshed Geoscience Initiative. This is expected to be supplemented by up to $3 million from the Australian Government’s $125 million Exploring for the Future Program.
- Re-prosecute Work Place Protection Laws because Tasmanian miners deserve the right to go to work and earn a living for their families without threats and disruptions from radical protesters.
- Establish a Diversity Action Plan to increase the gender and culture diversity of the resources sector, in partnership with the Tasmanian Mineral and Energy Council.
In addition, we have announced support to get major mines re-started, including:
- $25 million assistance package to the operator of the Mt Lyell mine, once mining operations recommence, and have provided $9.5 million to undertake works necessary to bring forward the restart of the Mt Lyell mine.
- Offering a $10 million loan to progress the Scheelite Dolphin Tungsten Project mine on King Island, which has been closed since the early 1990s. This project has the potential to generate significant investment, create up to 90 jobs during construction and 55 ongoing full-time jobs, and boost King Island’s economy.
- $2.3 million towards the upgrade of the Mornington Core Library. This means more of the scientific analysis work that goes into both managing our natural resources and growing the sector can happen right here in Tasmania rather than going offshore.
Tasmania’s mining and processing sector is a vital part of the State’s economy, contributing to more than 50 per cent of Tasmania’s exports and employing 5,100 Tasmanians, mostly in regional communities.
The mining industry also contributes millions in royalties and other payments, which go to support the provision of schools, police and health services across the State.
The mining sector contributes the lion’s share of our state's goods exports, is a key job creator and community-building sector, and draws on Tasmania’s rich sustainable natural resources.
Since the Liberal Majority Government was elected, we have seen –
- The restart of operations at Hellyer, creating more than 60 jobs.
- The successful sale of the Henty Gold mine, securing over 100 jobs.
- The sale of Beaconsfield gold mine and proposed restart, which would create 80 jobs.
A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will drive the mining sector to find new deposits, develop new mines, create new jobs and new value-adding opportunities.
These initiatives are expected to create jobs by providing industry with the certainty they need to continue investing in Tasmania and employing local Tasmanians.
Extend our co-funded Exploration Drilling Grants Initiative to 2025
A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will provide $1.5 million to extend our co-funded Exploration Drilling Grants Initiative to 2025.
This successful program has been in place since 2018 and is anticipated to generate over 10kms of greenfields exploration drilling and investigation.
By co-investing with industry through this partnership we are supporting the continued investment in and ongoing development of our mining industry.
Provide $2 million to a Geoscience Initiative. This is expected to be supplemented by up to $3 million from the Australian Government’s $125 million Exploring for the Future Program
A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will commit a further $2 million over four years to a new Geoscience Initiative.
This investment, coupled with up to $3 million for our share of the Australian Government's $125 million Exploring for the Future Program, will be crucial to explore, research and identify more of Tasmania's natural mineral resources.
This research plays a vital role in unlocking future mining development, further investment and more jobs in regional Tasmania.
Re-prosecute Work Place Protection Laws because Tasmanian miners deserve the right to go to work and earn a living for their families without threats and disruptions from radical protesters
It is the Liberals who have always stood firm in fighting for the rights of Tasmanians to go to work and earn a living, without threats and disruptions from radical protesters.
A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will re-prosecute our workplace protection legislation in Parliament to put an end to dangerous workplace invasions.
Establish a Diversity Action Plan to increase the gender and culture diversity of the resources sector, in partnership with the Tasmanian Mineral and Energy Council (TMEC)
Importantly, people are always at the centre of successful industries.
A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will partner with TMEC, providing $150,000 to establish a Diversity Action Plan to increase the gender and cultural diversity of our resources sector.
Current work underway:
$1 million over four years to a Mining Sector Innovation Initiative to keep mining at the cutting edge.
Our record in Government:
- Delivered on our guarantee of no more land lock-ups.
- Workplaces (Protection from Protesters) Act to Parliament to support the rights of workers from workplace invasions (Labor & Greens voted against)
- Relocated Mineral Resources Tasmania to Burnie
- $1 million over four years towards our Geoscience Initiative.
- Delivered Explorer Support Package to provide relief to mineral explorers during COVID.
- Developed a Mineral Exploration Investment Attraction Plan to promote Tasmania’s mineral potential to the world.
The Labor-Green record (2010 to 2014):
- In 2012-13 the Fraser Institute Survey reported that the Tasmanian mining industry had one of the world’s highest ‘uncertainty’ rankings because of the threat of further land lock-ups.
- The Bob Brown Foundation and the Greens want to lock up 680,000 hectares of productive land in the North-West, or a further 10% of Tasmania’s 68 000 km2 land mass in extensions to the World Heritage Area, co sting the State upwards of $150 million in mining and exploration investment over 20 years.
More recently:
- The Bob Brown Foundation and the Greens want to lock up 680,000 hectares of productive land in the North-West, or a further 10% of Tasmania’s 68 000 km2 land mass in extensions to the World Heritage Area, co sting the State upwards of $150 million in mining and exploration investment over 20 years.
Costings
The cost of this policy is $3.5 million over four years.