9 November 2022


FEDERAL LABOR MUST HONOUR ONCE IN A LIFETIME CRADLE MOUNTAIN COMMITMENT

A sensitive and appropriately designed cableway at Cradle Mountain would be a game-changer for northern Tasmania according to the tourism industry. At present there is $60 million on the table to realise this opportunity and the Federal Coalition was committed to this project since 2016, when first proposed by the Tasmanian Government.

Understanding that this is a complex project in an incredibly sensitive part of our environment, it has taken time to be able to develop an appropriate proposal. However, now is the time to ensure that this project becomes reality.

At Senate Estimates this week, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts officials confirmed that projects funded under the Community Development Grants program would have to hand money back to Canberra if not contracted with appropriate approvals in place by the end of April 2023. That means the Tasmanian Government have six months to secure all approvals, including potential Federal environmental approvals.

I am calling on all Federal Labor MPs to stand by this project and ensure that, despite this hard deadline, the funding continues to be available to enable completion of this project.

If Labor can’t support and secure the completion of the project, they are dudding Tasmania and regional communities – including our tourism industry which needs every bit of support it can get.

Similarly the Tasmanian Government, after six years, will need to ensure that no time is wasted in finalising this project and seeing it become the game-changer we were promised it would be.