While visiting Tasmania on Friday for the first time since the election campaign began, Malcolm Turnbull talked up the benefits of free-trade agreements for local producers, and hinted at a future funding announcement for the UTAS campus relocation.
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The Prime Minister said the Tasmanian Liberal members had been eloquent advocates for the university’s northern campus expansion plans.
“Improving education and expanding the educational facilities available to Tasmanians, and available to visitors and overseas students, is a very, very big part of the Tasmanian economic growth agenda and it's a big part of our agenda too,” he said.
“You can count on us having more to say about that between now and the election.”
Labor Senator Helen Polley said the funding should not be about politics.
“I’m extremely disappointed today, to have the Prime Minister in the electorate of Bass who failed to bring anything in his tote bag,” she said.
“What it says to us is that Mr Turnbull is more interested in the polling, and he is waiting for his timing I expect for when he will come back and hopefully make an announcement.”
During a tour of the Josef Chromy winery, the Prime Minister also met with a number of Tasmanian producers and discussed how trade export deals had driven growth across the state.
Tasmanian commercial rock lobster fisherman Karl Krause was among the group, and said his industry benefited from the deal right away.
“Now with the free trade agreement buyers are haggling over who can get them, and the price is way better and while there's still a tariff on our fish it’s being reduced and there’s some security,” he said.
Mr Turnbull was also questioned over Immigration Minister Peter Dutton’s recent inflammatory remarks about refugees, given the background of his host who came to Australia as a migrant after World War II.
“Josef Chromy’s story, like so many other migrant stories have made us what we are, we’re inspired by Josef and we're inspired by so many other Australians with the same migrant tale,” he said.
Mr Chromy escorted the Prime Minister to inspect the winery’s grape vines, when they were accosted by a protester. The Wilderness Society member, dressed as a critically endangered swift parrot, called on Mr Turnbull to increase funds to help save species close to extinction.
