Tasmania eases Covid border restrictions with Victoria
Travellers to and from regional Victoria will now be able to enter Tasmania without quarantining from midnight. LATEST UPDATE >>
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TASMANIA will ease travel restrictions with Victoria at midnight on Thursday, allowing people from regional areas in the state to cross the border, but maintaining a ban on those from Melbourne.
Premier Peter Gutwein said travellers from the Victorian capital still posed a Covid risk and travel restrictions would remain in place for at least the next few days.
“Based on the current situation in Victoria, regional Victoria will be downgraded to low risk for midnight tonight under our Tasmanian border controls,” he said.
“Metropolitan Melbourne … which consists of 31 local government areas, will remain high risk and will continue to be monitored daily however at this stage it’s unlikely that it will be downgraded to low risk until after the long weekend.
“As a result of these changes, people who have only been in regional Victoria in the 14 days before they arrived in Tasmania will not have to quarantine upon arrival in Tasmania.”
There remains premises which have been declared high risk in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
Anyone who has visits those premises is prohibited from travelling to Tasmania.
Director of Public Health Mark Veitch said the change to border restrictions had been made due to the latest assessment of risk.
“There have been no cases of COVID in regional Victoria. There are currently no exposure sites in regional Victoria,” he said.
“There’s been plenty of testing done throughout regional Victoria both before this outbreak, and since then.
“All of those things add up to regional Victoria being a very safe place. Metropolitan Melbourne is quite different.”
Mr Gutwein said that after 16 weeks of vaccinations, around 30 per cent of Tasmanians had received at least one dose: with 135,000 total vaccinations and 19,000 being administered last week alone.
“Getting Tasmanians vaccinated quickly is our absolute priority and I am urging every eligible Tasmania to book an appointment in the coming weeks. Now let’s get on with this and get the job done,” he said.
Health Secretary Katherine Morgan-Wicks said based on new advice, pregnant women were advised to seek out a vaccine.
“We have received advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommending that pregnant women are to be offered the Pfizer vaccine at any stage of pregnancy.
“This is because the risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 is significantly higher for pregnant women, and their unborn baby.
“Women who are trying to become pregnant do not need to delay vaccination or avoid becoming pregnant after vaccination.”
Residents as young as 16 eligible for Covid vaccine in Tassie’s remote areas
Tasmanians aged just 16 and above are receiving covid-19 vaccinations at clinics in the State’s more remote areas.
This week more than 660 people have been vaccinated at the Smithton clinic.
A Health Department spokesman said offering of the jab to a broader age group at Smithton and other rural clinics was being mirrored in other parts of Australia.
“In line with the national approach to regional communities with smaller populations, clinics for people 16 and over are being conducted in Tasmania,” he said.
“This has occurred on King Island, Flinders Island and Smithton, and will also happen on the West Coast in the coming weeks.”
So far across Australia 5.3m vaccinations have been delivered.
On Friday, Premier Peter Gutwein said Tasmania was leading the nation in uptake with 120,000 Tasmanians, or over 27 per cent of residents aged 16 years and over, having received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine.
An extra community Pfizer clinic is opening up in Moonah from next week, which will have extended opening hours, including weekends.
Other clinics coming online soon include a Pfizer clinic in Burnie which is open now and an AstraZeneca clinic in Scottsdale in late June.
There are also more than 93 GPs involved in the Tasmanian rollout.
To book your vaccination, you can visit www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au or ring the Tasmanian Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738.
Jobseekers to score $500 boost to start work
TASMANIAN jobseekers will be given grants of up to $500 to help them buy the essentials they need to start work.
The Jobs Ready Fund will assist with costs associated with becoming job ready, Minister for Skills, Training and Workforce Growth Sarah Courtney said.
The fund will cover the costs of accreditations needed to gain employment, protective clothing or tools.
“The Job Ready Fund is a $2 million fund, which will allow Tasmanians to get grants of up to $500 to help them with those essential things that they need to be able to get a job,” Ms Courtney said.
“This might be paying for the cost of a [construction industry induction] white card, it could be paying for their working with vulnerable people card.
“We can also look at things such as tools and specialty equipment that people need – we know that these costs can be an impediment for somebody being able to actually get a job.
“We know that for many, many people around Tasmania, there are a range of challenges they had being able to have pathways into employment, being able to remove an impediment is an important part of this initiative.”
Hudson Civil Products managing director Michael Hudson said there was strong demand for workers at present, and anything that would make candidates more job ready was welcome.
“It’s never been busier than what else seen it at the moment,” he said.
“The main problem would possibly be their ability to get to work, and their desire to work, perhaps. We’re always finding it hard to find people.”
Team support at not-for-profit National Joblink Paris Lee said the funding would be a big help for applicants who were starting from scratch.
“This is extra money that we can pour into our participants, especially for white cards, transport, working with vulnerables, interview clothes, that sort of thing,” she said.
“We are seeing people getting jobs left, right and centre, which is super exciting within my role of work.
“That does make me really quite happy for the future. I think we’re on the right track.”
To be eligible to access the fund applicants need to be in receipt of a Centrelink allowance such as Newstart, Youth Allowance, Disability Support Pension, ABSTUDY or Austudy, or be listed on a current Health Care Card and meet the eligibility criteria.
The scheme starts on July 1 and will be rolled out through the existing skills-matching service provider Searson Buck Group.
Tasmanian economy bounces back from Covid’s impact
THE state’s economy is recovering strongly from the devastation wrought by the pandemic, new figures show.
Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that state final demand grew 1.6 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms in Tasmania in the March quarter — the third strongest growth rate in the nation.
State Final Demand is a measure of the total value of goods and services that are sold in a state to government and private buyers.
Premier and Treasurer Peter Gutwein welcomed the result.
“Pleasingly, household consumption increased by 1.9 per cent and was led by the continued recovery in expenditure in hotels, cafes and restaurants,” he said.
“Growth was also underpinned by private investment growth of 2.5 per cent in the quarter, which reflects strong investment into construction equipment and more houses, supported by our Construction Blitz and HomeBuilder Programs.”
Building data released by the ABS showed that dwelling approvals had increased in seasonally adjusted terms by 37.2 per cent for the year to April 2021.
“Government investment also grew at 2.8 per cent in the quarter, because at the height of the pandemic last year, we knew it was the Government’s role to step in to support our economy and drive our rebuild, which is exactly what we did,” Mr Gutwein said.
Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Michael Bailey said the data showed a pleasing trend.
“These figures show Tasmania had the third fastest growing economy during the first three months of the year,” Mr Bailey said.
“The private sector is driving this growth, with a 24 per cent surge in the purchase of machinery and equipment.
“There’s no doubt that the boom in housing construction is driving that, but it is also supporting broader economic confidence around the state.”
Mr Bailey said continued government support would assist business,
“We would urge the Tasmanian Government to continue rolling out their election commitments as quickly as possible to help maintain the economic momentum and drive the recovery in our community,” he said.
Combo pop-up shop foreshadows bigger venture
A TASMANIAN fashion brand and salon are pairing up to launch a pop-up shop as a way of testing the waters for a bigger business.
Co-founder of After Eight, Emma Petterwood, said her vision was to provide sustainable luxury fashion brands, which had been missing from Hobart.
“Our motto is buy once, buy well. We want women to have their forever pieces, we want women to have pieces in their wardrobes for years to come,” Ms Petterwood said.
“I noticed there was a gap in the market for this higher end but also sustainable fashion.”
The brand is working with Ari Ahearne from Sip & Style Co to offer a more personalised service.
“The reason we’ve decided to work with Ari is to show women and men how to style themselves,” she said.
The clothes are marketed at women between 30 and 60.
“We cover all the categories from knitwear to denim and we also have sustainable jewellery.”
The pop-up shop will run on Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm.
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