Top-level industry leaders' meeting held under the radar

NEW Norfolk hosted a large section of the leaders of Tasmanian  industry this week.

The under-the-radar event, whose primary focus was a discussion of current employment and future job opportunities, brought together CEOs and senior officers from 14 Tasmanian industry groups.

Premier Jeremy Rockcliff and state opposition leader Dean Winter also addressed the group during two separate sessions on Monday.

Attorney-General, Justice and Health Minister and Member for Lyons Guy Barnett joined the Premier for the pre-lunch session.

The get-together was arranged by the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and was held at the New Norfolk Football Club. 

The decision to hold a meeting with high-level industry personnel  reflects a rising awareness of political and industrial importance of the Derwent Valley, reflected in the advanced proposal from Incat to build electric ferries at a new Boyer site.  

However, the TCCI kept this week’s deliberations private, and did not issue a press release about the items under discussion to the media, either before or after the event.  

The Gazette has learned that the morning session’s briefing by the Mr Rockliff included a number of issues of statewide significance.

Among them was the failure of TT Line and TasPorts to coordinate the completion of Devonport terminals for the new, much larger Spirit of Tasmania ferries, an issue he pledged to fix as quickly as possible.

The Premier also used his visit to New Norfolk to see cleanup efforts after last week’s flooding. At the jobs forum, he detailed a package of financial relief measures, including emergency grants and landfill fees waivers.

The afternoon session was addressed by the new Labor leader Dean Winter who outlined how Labor had changed under his leadership. He said the party was firmly focused on jobs and explained his vision for the future of Tasmania's economy.

Multiple representatives represented such industry groups as Salmon Tasmania, TCCI members, the Housing Industry Association and Master Builders Association, Tasmanian Small Business Council, the Civil Contractors Federation of Tasmania, along with the timber and tourism industries. Some 60 attendees participated.

Local companies and agencies included Norske Skog, while Derwent Valley Council was represented by the Mayor, Michelle Dracoulis and the General Manager, Ron Sanderson.