Today The Examiner launches a series aimed at discussing and improving the economic performance of Northern Tasmania.

The fundamental question we are asking is: What will future proof Tasmania for the next generation?

Do we hang on to the embers of an antiquated world - however romanticised it might be - or do we embrace change?

And what does that look like?

Respected economist Saul Eslake makes the point that Tasmania’s future can no longer be in unsophiscated manufacturing that produces low cost items for export to the global market.

That business model is long gone - supplanted by cheaper manufacturing elsewhere.

Instead, the competitive advantage is in high-end, niche products, which cannot be done better anywhere else in the world and are therefore sold for a premium price.

Tasmanians cannot wait like cargo cultists in jungle airfields for one big industry or project to drop out of the sky - we must have a diversity of markets and experiences.

It makes complete sense but it is not always easy to change.

The Examiner will explore the sectors that could become our competitive advantage.

Areas like education, technology, aged care, tourism, and agriculture.

And we will be asking how Northern Tasmania can benefit from leading the charge.

The Examiner is sometimes accused of blind parochialism, but we make no apologies for advocating for our community and our region.

Should anyone expect anything less?

However, Northerners cannot whinge their way to success.

That, for too long, has been a method of agitation.

We must be evidenced based.

We must be practical and practicable.

And we must get over the unhealthy obsession with wanting an equal share of what Hobart has.

Tasmania is no longer a colonial settlement divided along the 42nd parallel and governed in equal halves.

Hobart is the capital, the seat of power and has the largest population base.

As such it has access to the lion’s share of the public service and therefore the bulk of the productive workforce.

Answers do not lie in coveting or duplicating the same projects, events and experiences of the South, but in finding our own.

We should look to examples of other regional cities like Bendigo, which has reinvented itself as a cultural destination outside a capital city.

As Australia’s third oldest city, Launceston’s history and built heritage has perhaps not been fully realised and taken advantage of.

The refrain we often hear from people is, “The government needs to fix the problem”, as if the uttering absolves the utterer from deeper thinking.

What, instead, can the community do to be agents of their own success?

That being said, the state government of course has a role, particularly with an election in the offing, in driving the economic success of the entire state.

It surely has recognised that people in Bass, Braddon and northern Lyons delivered it majority government - 10 out of its 15 members come from those electorates.

Local government has a part to play too in creating vibrant, attractive, and welcoming spaces for people to live, work and play.

Launceston City Council, to its credit, has this as a major focus, but it and all councils in our catchment need to work collaboratively at every opportunity.

There are major issues the federal government can address, such as funding the decades long malaise in addressing water and sewage issues in the Tamar River.

Untreated sewage entering the river when the system is overwhelmed is simply not acceptable.

TasWater should be directed by the state minister and local government owners to make it its number one priority. Treasurer Peter Gutwein’s line in the sand on this matter is welcomed.

Driving Our Future will examine the challenges and issues facing Northern Tasmania’s economy.

It will look at the success stories too – the innovators leading a fresh rethink of our region.

It will talk to business, community and political leaders about what they think could drive change.

People like Property Council of Australia Tasmanian executive director Brian Wightman, Coordinator General John Perry, Launceston Chamber of Commerce executive officer Jan Davis and Regional Development Australia Tasmania chief executive Craig Perkins.

Overall, The Examiner wants to elicit the thoughts and ideas of its readers and community.

What direction do you think Northern Tasmania needs to take, not just to be sustainable but to grow?

Where should we look for inspiration and who is already leading the charge?

Waiting for others to address the issue is not a viable solution.

The prosperity of our region and future for our children is in our hands.