23 August 2019

Freight Boost for Tasmanian Businesses

A major boost to the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme announced by the Morrison Government today is great news for Tasmania.

The changes announced by the Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister Andrew Gee will further level the playing field for Tasmanian businesses.

Being an island state gives Tasmanian businesses a huge competitive edge, but those benefits should not be lost because of Bass Strait shipping and that’s what the TFES is all about.

 

This boost to the TFES will create enormous opportunities for Tasmanian businesses, particularly across our manufacturing, mining, forestry, agriculture and fisheries sectors.

These changes will unlock huge potential for Tasmanian businesses to invest more in equipment and infrastructure, create more jobs and have a level playing field.

This potential for growth in our major competitive strengths will help the Morrison Government reach the target of a $100 billion agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector by 2030.

The changes include:

  • Extending the TFES to include new funding for goods brought into Tasmania via an Australian port, when the product is not available in Australia;
  • Making permanent the 2016 TFES extension, which introduced assistance for Tasmanian goods transhipped at mainland ports;
  • Reducing the payment process times for claims from 35 days to 30 days; and
  • An increase in the funding assistance for transporting high-density goods to and from the mainland, subject to a review.

The Tasmanian Liberal Senate Team has worked hard to secure this boost to the Freight Equalisation Scheme to ensure Tasmanians have the level playing field that they deserve.