Tasmania ranks fifth in CommSec State of the States report for January quarter

Tasmania’s economic outlook is neither better or worse than last quarter according to a new report. Why politicians can’t agree if that’s good or bad for jobs.

A new a report shows how Tasmania is performing across a number of key economic indicators.

It is steady sailing for Tasmania as it remains fifth in a new economic report against other Australian states.

The CommSec State of the States report for the January quarter has been released, and Western Australia came out on top.

Queensland and South Australia are tied for second, while Victoria takes fourth place.

New South Wales is in sixth, ACT in seventh, and the Northern Territory is last.

In the individual metrics, Tasmania’s best performance was in equipment spending – it came in second – while its worst was population growth, where it finished dead last.

Attorney-General Guy Barnett.

In response to the report, Treasurer Guy Barnett said the government backed business and economic growth.

“Our strategic investments have seen Tasmania remain steady in the face of national economic headwinds, with the majority of our metrics in line with larger states,” Mr Barnett said.

“We have the lowest inflation in the nation, which helps ease the burden of cost of living, but we know some Tasmanians are still doing it tough, and there’s more work to do.

“As part of our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future, we have a strong pipeline of infrastructure projects, which helps keep our economy strong and create jobs.

“We will continue to partner with business to promote job creation and economic growth opportunities.”

Labor's Josh Willie.

Shadow Treasurer Josh Willie was not impressed with Tasmania’s performance in the report.

“The latest CommSec State of the States report is further proof the Rockliff minority government is bad for jobs and bad for the economy,” Mr Willie said.

“According to the report, Tasmania is now bottom of the leaderboard on annual growth rates of the eight economic indicators.

“Alarmingly, Tasmania is also the only state with negative employment growth.”

Mr Willie said all the different economic reports were telling the same story.

“Our economy is flatlining, and jobs are vanishing at a rapid rate.

“More than 8700 Tasmanian jobs have been lost since Premier Rockliff’s weak leadership sent his government into minority.

“Famously, the TCCI has said that it will be difficult to trust this government again. It’s beyond clear that we can’t afford a government that is tired and out of ideas like this one.

“Labor’s priority is making sure Tasmanians can find work in well-paid, safe, and secure jobs. Boosting workforce participation, getting people into good jobs, is one of the keys to getting our economy back on track.”

Originally published as Tasmania ranks fifth in CommSec State of the States report for January quarter