Treasurer Peter Gutwein and Tasmanian Liberal Senator Jonathon Duniam will strongly push for the state to receive more federal public service jobs as the Australian government moves to decentralise Canberra’s bureaucracy.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The two on Friday will launch a bid to harness lucrative departmental and agency jobs as the government investigates which jobs could leave the nation’s capital and two biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne.
Senator Duniam said Tasmania needed to get its fair share of government spending and this included public sector staff and agencies.
He said the state’s Liberal senators, the state government and business community would work together to ensure Tasmania was not left out of the decentralisation process.
“Canberra needs to remember that the rest of the country, including Tasmania, drives this country’s economy, and that is why we should be relocating (public service) jobs here – to ensure that public service workers and policy makers have the perspective of regional communities,” Senator Duniam said.
Mr Gutwein said Tasmania could present a strong case for job relocation, due to the state’s lifestyle and liveability.
He said more public service jobs would boost regional employment and spending with local businesses.
Northern Tasmania Development chief executive Maree Tetlow said the organisation would work with both levels of government to pitch for an agency best suited to move to the region.
“We do realise that we will need to be an attractive option to the management and their staff of agencies to ensure our efforts are successful,” she said.