THE federal government says a $16 million sweetener passed up by Cadbury is guaranteed to remain in Tasmania. Cadbury’s owners yesterday abandoned an application for the grant and scrapped plans for a multimillion-dollar Tasmanian visitor centre. The controversial $16 million kicker was promised to Cadbury before the 2013 election to contribute to a $66 million redevelopment aimed at increasing production and reintroducing factory tours. Mondelez Australia and New Zealand managing director Amanda Banfield said the company was unable to satisfy criteria to unlock the funding. Ms Banfield said the cash hinged on increasing production at the company’s Claremont plant by 20 per cent to 70,000 tonnes a year. ‘‘We don’t have that kind of volume increase available to us from confirmed export orders,’’ Ms Banfield said. Ms Banfield said plans to create 300 new jobs would not be delivered, but said Cadbury’s 600 existing Tasmanian staff would not be affected. She said the company would still invest $20 million a year at the factory. Tasmanian Senator Eric Abetz welcomed the company’s pledged cash injection, but said it fell far short of the $50 million Cadbury was to contribute. Senator Abetz did not say how the $16 million in federal funding, set aside in the 2014-15 budget, would be spent. ‘‘We will now determine how that can be best used for Tasmania to ensure that we can grow jobs,’’ Senator Abetz said. ‘‘We want to ensure that every single dollar is put to the best possible use.’’ Denison independent MHR Andrew Wilkie said he was bitterly disappointed by the outcome and insisted the money must be spent in the state’s South. ‘‘To do otherwise will make this another broken promise and terrible betrayal of the community,’’ Mr Wilkie said. But Senator Abetz said there was nothing anchoring the money to the vicinity of Cadbury’s Southern plant. ‘‘To say that this money is for a particularly factory and should therefore be spent as close as possible to it, I don’t think that’s a coherent argument,’’ he said.
THE federal government says a $16 million sweetener passed up by Cadbury is guaranteed to remain in Tasmania.
Cadbury’s owners yesterday abandoned an application for the grant and scrapped plans for a multimillion-dollar Tasmanian visitor centre.
The controversial $16 million kicker was promised to Cadbury before the 2013 election to contribute to a $66 million redevelopment aimed at increasing production and reintroducing factory tours.
Mondelez Australia and New Zealand managing director Amanda Banfield said the company was unable to satisfy criteria to unlock the funding.
Amanda Banfield
Ms Banfield said the cash hinged on increasing production at the company’s Claremont plant by 20 per cent to 70,000 tonnes a year.
‘‘We don’t have that kind of volume increase available to us from confirmed export orders,’’ Ms Banfield said.
Ms Banfield said plans to create 300 new jobs would not be delivered, but said Cadbury’s 600 existing Tasmanian staff would not be affected.
She said the company would still invest $20 million a year at the factory.
Tasmanian Senator Eric Abetz welcomed the company’s pledged cash injection, but said it fell far short of the $50 million Cadbury was to contribute.
Senator Abetz did not say how the $16 million in federal funding, set aside in the 2014-15 budget, would be spent.
‘‘We will now determine how that can be best used for Tasmania to ensure that we can grow jobs,’’ Senator Abetz said.
‘‘We want to ensure that every single dollar is put to the best possible use.’’
Denison independent MHR Andrew Wilkie said he was bitterly disappointed by the outcome and insisted the money must be spent in the state’s South.
‘‘To do otherwise will make this another broken promise and terrible betrayal of the community,’’ Mr Wilkie said.
But Senator Abetz said there was nothing anchoring the money to the vicinity of Cadbury’s Southern plant.
‘‘To say that this money is for a particularly factory and should therefore be spent as close as possible to it, I don’t think that’s a coherent argument,’’ he said.
