Mr FERGUSON (Bass) – Honourable Deputy Speaker, I rise this afternoon to respond to the Premier’s address, and from the outset I commend him for outlining a clear and ambitious vision for Tasmania’s future and one which is already fruitful for our community. The Premier spoke about building a strong economy and a caring community and that is a twofold mission that I strongly support and really, in many ways, encapsulates the reason I stood for parliament the first time way back when. As I said in this debate about a year ago, a strong economy is not just another policy objective. A strong economy is in fact the foundation that is able to then support everything else that we want to be able to achieve as a government and as a parliament.
A strong economy allows us to invest in health, it allows us to invest in education, it allows us to build infrastructure, and it also allows us to support members of our community who need help the most. Without underlying economic strength, none of those worthy priorities are sustainable.
Tasmania’s economy today, I am very pleased to say, is very different to what it was 12 years ago. Back then, few people would have believed that Tasmania could have one of the strongest labour markets in the country, and that’s exactly what has happened. Recent ABS labour force data shows Tasmania’s unemployment rate at around 4.5 per cent. I remember a time when a Labor minister described 8.6 per cent unemployment as disappointing. Of course that’s true, they were right, it was disappointing, but it was much more than disappointing, it was life-changing in a very bad way for many Tasmanian families.
At that time, too many Tasmanians were out of work. Too many young people believed their future was to be found interstate. Today’s story is very different and I for one am very proud of that. There are today around 280,000 Tasmanians in work. That’s around 45,000 more jobs than when this Liberal government was first elected in 2014. Behind that number are tens of thousands of Tasmanian families who today have the dignity and security that comes with employment.
Independent business surveys also tell us the same story. Tasmania has consistently recorded the strongest business confidence and business conditions in the nation according to the NAB Business Survey.
Across the country, many businesses have taken a walloping under federal Labor. Inflation is high, interest rates are going up – again today – and promises that have been made very clearly by Prime Minister Albanese about taxes, superannuation and electricity bills have been broken. No wonder voters are cynical about this Labor government we have in Canberra.
Against that backdrop, one state is leading the nation. One state must come first and it’s ours. It’s this state, Tasmania. What does that mean? It means communities and businesses in our state are investing, employing and planning for the future. This transformation has been built through years of disciplined economic management and investment in infrastructure.
They include projects such as the ones that weren’t mentioned this morning by the Labor Party because they’re too embarrassed to mention them – the Royal Hobart Hospital, the Launceston General Hospital’s women’s and children’s building, the Bridgewater Bridge, the upcoming Macquarie Point stadium, our upgrades to York Park, Marinus Link, the Midland Highway, the east and west Tamar highways in my electorate, and the Tamar Estuary River Health Action Plan, a massive game-changer occurring under the river in my community, strengthening Launceston’s very aged sewage treatment system. Not only will that future-proof the infrastructure for our growing community and our economy, it’s going to lead to a much healthier Tamar River and Tamar Estuary.
These are important investments and I don’t want the House to lose sight of this. These investments are shaping our economy for decades to come and setting us up for success. Even as our economy remains strong, Tasmanian families are facing very real financial pressures. Across our country, households are dealing with higher grocery prices, higher energy costs and rising mortgage repayments, the very opposite of all of those things that were promised by Mr Albanese in 2022. All of them have been broken. These pressures are felt every time a family in my electorate of Bass fills up their car with petrol, or lately half-fills their car with petrol.
They’re felt every time that they pay for the groceries at the supermarket. They’re felt every time a mortgage repayment comes out of the bank account.
It was again at this time last year I talked about the impact and the risk of rising interest rates. At that time I drew attention to the ABS and Reserve Bank data showing that families here in Tasmania had paid around $31,000 in additional mortgage interest on average following the interest rate rises that began in 2022. More recently, according to ABS lending finance data, the average new mortgage in Tasmania is now around $504,000. When I say that, of course, I’m hoping that you’re thinking of our younger generations getting into their homes.
When interest rates move on loans of that size, families feel it immediately, and they’ll be feeling it hard. Many households today are paying around $1000 a month more on their mortgage compared to only a few years ago. Inflation is at the heart of this problem. It’s important to understand that inflation in this country was already running high before the latest global instability from Iran. That ABS data shows national inflation sitting at around 3.8 per cent, I believe that was for the December quarter last year, well above the Reserve Bank’s target range of 2 per cent to 3 per cent. That elevated inflation did not appear out of nowhere. It reflects what the federal Labor government has been doing. This includes very large amounts of government spending that have continued to stimulate the economy even while inflation pressures remained high. This was talked about by the Reserve Bank.
Well may members on the other side try to mock what I’m saying, but this is affecting our families.
Mr Winter – This isn’t a competition; I didn’t sign up for your vision.
Mr FERGUSON – This is affecting our families.
Mr Winter -You need to go to the party room, or wherever you need to go to.
DEPUTY SPEAKER – Order.
Mr Winter – It’s the state of the state.
DEPUTY SPEAKER – Honourable member for Franklin, order please.
Mr FERGUSON – This is affecting families. Unlike the ‘Winter election’, this speech is not about you, Mr Winter.
Mr Winter – It’s certainly not about Tasmania.
DEPUTY SPEAKER – Order.
Mr FERGUSON – He’s very agitated over there, but I’ll continue, with your support, Deputy Speaker. This, on its own , has led to most economists predicting higher interest rates. We saw it happen only hours ago today. I’m very concerned about the effect that this is having on our community, on our families. I don’t believe it’s right or proper for a member opposite, who caused an unnecessary election last year and worried consumer and business confidence, to have a single interjection to make while I’m raising the very real risks that are affecting decisions being made in our community today. I believe every member of this House should be concerned about further upward pressure on inflation that has already been too high. Here’s why: inflation pushes up interest rates, and when interest rates rise, our families pay the price. I said it a year ago, I say it again today. If members need to hear it next year, I’ll say it then as well.
In closing on this section, today’s decision by the Reserve Bank to increase interest rates again reflects the inflation problem facing Australia. That inflation has been driven in large part by federal policy settings, including excessive government spending under the Prime Minister and federal Treasurer. It’s our families who, once again, will be the ones paying the price when they inevitably, after today, are contacted by their bank and told their interest rate will be going up.
As the member for Bass, I see every day the benefits that investment in infrastructure brings to my community. Infrastructure is not just about construction. It’s about opportunity, it’s about jobs, it’s about participation and, of course, about strengthening communities, and setting the state up for future economic prosperity.
Across my community, we’re seeing significant investments that will serve our region for decades. At York Park, upgrades are underway, strengthening one of Tasmania’s great sporting venues. At the Silverdome, upgrades are progressing to ensure this iconic venue continues to host major sporting and community events. One of the most exciting developments underway and very close to my heart is the Northern Suburbs Community Recreation Hub in Mowbray.
Be in no doubt, Deputy Speaker and colleagues of this House, this investment of $60 million is a transformative investment in a community that has not seen the sort of public investment that it has needed in prior decades. I believe it’s a massive generational catch-up for Mowbray, Newnham, Rocherlea, and the surrounding communities, that is going to improve the quality of life for those kids, those families.
I want to see more team sport. I want to see more young people being coached and mentored. I’m delighted that the PCYC are moving in and going to play a lead role in the governance of that site, and for Tasmania Police to have a role as well. I think it’s a game changer. It’s something I’m very proud that we’ve done as a government, and I dare to believe it will change lives because of the power of sport, adult mentoring of young, sometimes disadvantaged youth, and people who might be on the margins of the youth justice system. With a little bit of support, a little bit of care, maybe even a little bit of love, they can be brought back into a healthier direction for their life. That’s why I’m in parliament, and that’s why I’ve been fighting for that development. That’s why I’m so excited about it, knowing that it will open very soon.
We’re also seeing major progress in essential infrastructure. The West Tamar Highway upgrade is coming along beautifully. It will not just improve the commuter experience, especially during morning peak, to a lesser extent afternoon peak, but cater for a growing and exciting community at Legana, which 50 years ago was a dot on a map with a name. Today it’s one of Tasmania’s most exciting places to live.
The Premier was absolutely right to highlight the importance of education. As an educator myself, I believe strongly that education is the foundation of opportunity for future generations, and literacy is the foundation of education. To be able to read and write, especially read, is a critical skill upon which other learnings are dependent. For far too long, education systems across much of the Western world were influenced by the philosophy of the now-discredited whole language model. It sounded appealing, but the evidence now clearly tells us that it failed far too many students – I would say countless students – in the years since it became fashionable in the 1970s. The evidence tells us now that the way to go is structured literacy, and direct instruction grounded in the science of reading. These are effective.
Time will not permit, but I did discuss it this morning in the MPI. The National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy in 2005, led by Dr Ken Rowe, reached a very clear conclusion. It is encapsulated in this one sentence:
Direct, systematic instruction in phonics during the early years of schooling is an essential foundation for teaching children to read.
I am very pleased to say that Tasmania’s Lifting Literacy initiative represents an important step forward in implementing these evidence-based approaches. I want to really congratulate the former ministers Mr Jaensch and Mr Rockliff, the current minister, Ms Palmer. These are the ministers who have listened to the evidence. I hope that they’ll accept the praise they’re due. They had the courage to listen to the evidence, but just like previous education ministers, listened to the evidence, not enough. They’ve acted on the evidence, and they’ve taken steps through reform, and with good advice to implement it, motivated by only one thing. They’ve been motivated by what’s best for our kids and making the changes in our schools and education departments and universities, so that everybody- to borrow a pun- is reading from the same script on this.
I am excited about it, and I congratulate our minister for holding the course. I have witnessed, for example, when I attended Summerdale Primary School, just what that environment is capable of. A classroom of children – can you imagine – fully engaged? Learning together, not some ahead of others. For me, the mic-drop moment here is this – the evidence tells us that the children who benefit the most are, in fact, the children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. It’s children from lower socioeconomic families, it is children from Aboriginal and culturally diverse families. It is the children with the least advantage, taken as a whole, who are getting the most benefit, because everybody is rising together.
I congratulate everybody involved in this. I genuinely believe it may be one of the most powerful initiatives that a Tasmanian government has done in education. It is a quiet revolution. You’re not seeing it through headlines, but I want to speak well of it and congratulate and encourage it to continue.
As I conclude, I again commend the Premier. Our state stands today at a moment of extraordinary opportunity. We have natural advantages that many places could only envy. I think sometimes we take it far too for granted, and as a person who’s been born here myself and raised here myself, I realise that sometimes we, as Tasmanian-born or Tasmanian-raised, sometimes have our blinkers on. We are not always aware of just how blessed we are to be Tasmanians.
Perhaps others from migrant backgrounds could teach us a thing or two just about what a precious and special jewel that we have, the jewel being the quality of life that we have here in Tasmania. We certainly have our challenges, but we have opportunity galore before us. We have natural advantages, such as renewable energy, a world-class visitor economy, strong agriculture, innovative manufacturing, creative industries, and communities that really do believe in working together. Of course, those opportunities, if we are to really grasp them and take advantage of them, we have to remain focused on some important fundamentals: responsible economic management, investment in infrastructure, support for free enterprise and a relentless commitment to education. If we do those things, then the social services that are important to all MPs of this House, regardless of your colour or background, are possible because the means are being generated.
The future of our state will ultimately be written, not just in government policy, but in the classrooms, in the workplaces and the communities across our state. Of course, they look to us – the people and the families and the communities of our state. They look to this House to see the leadership to allow those things to be achieved and for the hope and belief in our state to be real in their mind and in their heart. Our responsibility in this parliament, I believe, is to ensure that our future is one of opportunity, prosperity and hope for the generations that follow. I again, thank the Premier for his address, for his leadership of our government and our state.
I commend his address to the House.
