Never far from the thoughts of many, council amalgamations could be on the agenda in future under a range of announcements and initiatives announced by Premier Peter Gutwein on Tuesday.
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Mr Gutwein used his State of the State address to respond to the final report from the Premier's Economic and Social Recovery Advisory Council released on Tuesday.
The council made 52 recommendations for action which Mr Gutwein said the government would accept.
The advisory council, for the last phase of its work, extended the opportunity for any Tasmania to make submissions to it.
Mr Gutwein said Tasmanians had made many sacrifices during the coronavirus pandemic.
"Tasmanians clearly articulated a vision for our future," he said.
"We will now continue to deliver our plan for securing Tasmania's future.
"We will not forget the sacrifices that Tasmanians made, the cost borne by individuals, families and communities, nor will we ever forget that tragically there were 13 lives lost."
Tasmanians clearly articulated a vision for our future.
- Premier Peter Gutwein
THE AGENDA
Mr Gutwein said TasTAFE would be transformed into a separate government business to allow it to be more respondent to the needs of industry and business.
He said TasTAFE needed to train more people quickly.
"I don't want our businesses to be employing people from interstate in the coming months and years because our training provider is not empowered as nimbly, as quickly, and as flexibly as the businesses it seeks to serve," Mr Gutwein said.
IN OTHER NEWS:
"PESRAC heard that employment conditions for TasTAFE trainers align more to a school than an industry environment."
He said students were shortchanged learning hours and TasTAFE trainers were shortchanged on wages.
"These restrictive practices do not happen in most TAFEs across Australia," Mr Gutwein said.
"Businesses expect TasTAFE to be able to recruit new staff quickly in response to industry demand."
He said a $30 million fund of low-interest loans would be provided to commercial developers to allow stalled construction projects to proceed.
There will be a two-year $20.5 jobs package to better enable unemployed Tasmanians to get into work.
This will include financial incentives for businesses to employ long-term job seekers, $3 million for fund additional aged care and disability support training courses, and $2 million to help job seekers cover costs related to their pursuit of employment.
Mr Gutwein said subject to approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration, the government would allow general practitioners to prescribe medicinal cannabis from July 1.
He said it would allow pharmacies outside hospitals to dispense medicinal cannabis.
Prompted by a letter from a Tasmanian high school student, Mr Gutwein said free female sanitary products would be provided within Tasmanian schools from term 3.
Mr Gutwein said the student had told of girls missing days of school as they did not have access to them.
Mr Gutwein said the government would set a goal to phase out the use of single-use plastics just as a number of Tasmanian councils had done.
"The government as a first step will consult with local government on the best way to implement and phase in the removal of single-use plastics from government and council facilities and events held on publicly owned land across the state by 2023," he said.
Mr Gutwein said a cross-party arrangement would be established to discuss local government structural reform.
He said he no longer wanted to see the issue treated as "a political bunfight".
THE REACTION
Labor leader Rebecca White said Mr Gutwein's address contained some welcome measures, though it was disappointing it had taken a report from PESRAC for the announcements to be made.
"Today, the Premier highlighted many areas that have been neglected over the past seven years under this Liberal Government," Ms White said.
She said his announcement on TasTAFE wasn't about future development.
"It's about going to war with them," Ms White said.
Ms White will give her official response to the address on Wednesday.