Key Points
A Rebecca White Labor Government will provide certainty to our mining industry and advanced manufacturing sectors and provide security to Tasmanians workers.
Mining and advanced manufacturing are the backbone of many Tasmanian regional communities and Labor will ensure the Government has their back.
To achieve this, a Rebecca White Labor Government will:
- Plan for a Critical Minerals processing facility
- Rehabilitate historic mine sites
- Deliver exploration drilling grants
- Provide power price relief for Tasmanian businesses
- Double Tasmania’s energy supply with new renewable energy
- Give power price certainty to major industrials and Tasmanian jobs
- Unlock Burnie Port
- Provide training and equipment for the industry
Why we need it
Over a decade of Liberal Government, the mining industry has been left in limbo again and again.
The Liberals say they are strong supporters of our mining industry, advanced manufacturing and regional jobs but it feels like they only offer support to Tasmania’s vital industries when there is an opportunity to cut a ribbon or take a photo.
“Mining and advanced manufacturing are the backbone of many Tasmanian regional communities and Labor will ensure the Government has their back”
Mining and advanced manufacturing and their workforces deserve certainty and support from Government and that’s what a Rebecca White Labor Government will deliver.
The details
A Rebecca White Labor Government will:
Plan for a Critical Minerals processing facility
A Labor Government will provide $250,000 for a study to determine the business case for Tasmania to host a Critical Minerals processing facility.
Rehabilitate historic mine sites
A Labor Government will provide for an annual planning process to rehabilitate historic mine sites under the care of the State Government ranked by risk.
Deliver exploration drilling grants
A Labor Government will deliver a $1.5 million grants program for mining exploration. We will offer grants for co-funded exploration drilling projects, providing a stimulus to greenfields exploration.
Provide power price relief
A Labor Government will cut the last two years of power price increases and then cap future power price rises for every Tasmanian household and small business.
To provide certainty for the economy, Labor will make sure Tasmanian businesses never face soaring power prices again.
We will do this by putting a permanent ceiling on the price paid by contracted customers. This will guarantee that energy rebates for small and medium businesses will kick in if the wholesale price of power go above $100/MWh.
Give power price certainty for business
A Labor Government will introduce legislation to create a Tasmania First Energy Reserve and provide a consistent strategy for the supply of electricity to major industrials.
We will direct supply agreements to major industrials until at least 2040, securing manufacturing jobs into the future.
In our first 100 days, we will also rewrite Hydro’s Ministerial Charter to guarantee Tasmanian households and industries will be prioritised ahead of selling power to the mainland.
Unlock Burnie Port
A Labor Government is committed to extending and strengthening Berth 7 at Burnie Port and dredge it to make it deeper, to maximise its utility for shipping mineral products.
Labor will rewrite TasPorts’ Ministerial Statement of Expectations to deliver this project and to ensure TasPorts is working in Tasmania’s best interest as our ports are vital to our island economy.
Provide support for Incat
A Labor Government will provide $5.25 million to support Incat’s scale up, increasing its workforce and its capacity to produce zero emissions Tassie-made ships.
Provide training and equipment for the industry
A Labor Government will provide $1.5 million to establish a specialist CNC Machining facility within an existing TasTAFE campus in the South.
We will also provide $150,000 to purchase a COBOT to enable manufacturers to complete a Proof of Concept on potential introduction of productivity improvement equipment.
A Labor Government will also spend $50,000 to purchase Learning Resources suitable for use in training for the industry with existing Virtual Reality Headsets for students and workers.