Getting Tasmania back on track will require a focus on both the economic and social effects of the COVID-19 crisis, according to key advisors.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Premier's Economic and Social Recovery Advisory Council has been tasked with providing advice on a way forward during the pandemic, and chairman Don Challen said he and the other eight members would be investigating "the whole spectrum".
"This is not just about the economy, and employment, and business failures, it's very much a social phenomenon as well," Mr Challen said.
Coronavirus: All the latest updates on COVID-19 for Tasmania
"Across the nine members of the council, we have people that are interested in a whole range of subjects from the economy and employment right through to people who worry about social issues, mental health, children and education."
The council this week released its consultation process document, which includes three stages.
Mr Challen said the first stage would be a "highly-targeted process", and would involve government agencies, peak bodies and industry and social groups.
"We are at the stage now where we are trying to understand how bad things are, the state of the problem and getting ready to hoover up ideas from around the community about what we can do to mitigate the effects of the pandemic," he said.
He called on the broader community to "think outside the square" and work with the council to create "new ways of thinking".
"We don't think this is a time for re-hashing old agendas, we think this is a time for new thoughts, new approaches.
"We really want Tasmanians talking to us about our shared future.
"Our job will be easier and our reports better if people are willing to engage with us."
While the council has already begun discussing some short-term plans, with a June deadline for their first report to the Premier, he said it was too early for "specific ideas".
Mr Challen did say, however, that Tasmanians needed to be "realistic" about their future way of life.
"Some of the impacts of this pandemic are going to be permanent, some may be quite long-term."
IN OTHER NEWS:
But it's not all bad news, with some positive outcomes expected.
"One issue is traffic congestion and we have seen with a lot of people working from home, and kids not going to school, there's not much traffic on the roads.
"I think there is an opportunity in that for us to think again about how we organise our lives, our work, our schools, to see whether we can avoid some of the need for large slabs of capital expenditure and manage traffic congestion with behaviour changes rather than lots of dollars."
Responding to the Premier's calls last week for the national JobKeeper scheme to be extended, Mr Challen said there were several industries that would continue to struggle beyond September.
"I can't speak for the council, but I think it's pretty clear that our tourism and travel-dependent industries are going to continue to do it tough, particularly the accommodation sector, until the Tasmanian border is opened and we start to get decent amounts of travel up and down the East Coast.
"So I would hope the Federal Government would extend JobKeeper in a targeted way to hep that industry in the months ahead."
As well as those industries who rely on tourism and travel, Mr Challen said more support was needed for those in the arts sector.
"They are doing it tough, and while some of the bigger companies have been able to benefit from JobKeeper, the smaller ones haven't and there are lots of people who are employed on a one-gig basis that aren't getting any support, and that's a group that I think could do with some additional support."
As for the overall plan to tackle COVID-19, Mr Challen said he had "a lot of confidence in our leaders not just in Tasmania, but Australia more widely".
"The issue now is how can we slowly reduce rest and return to a more normal life while protecting ourselves against the risk of new infections and a second wave, it's a big, difficult balancing judgment the government has to make."
"The issue now is how can we slowly reduce restrictions and return to a more normal life while protecting ourselves against the risk of new infections and a second wave.
"It is a difficult balancing judgement the government has to make."