Editorial: Light at the end of Tasmania’s COVID-19 tunnel

There is a sense of an emerging revival in Tasmania, but it’s going to take a lot of hard work, strategic thought and planning.

THE returning lights and open for business signs across Tasmania are a positive sign we are on our way to reaching the final stages of this COVID-19 tunnel.

There is a sense of an emerging revival but it’s going to take a lot of hard work, strategic thought and planning.

One of the city’s major hotel developments has announced it will open in July after several delays and postponed openings. It’s a risk while questions remain over when state borders could reopen, but seems well calculated to try to lure people from around the state for a “staycation” just as the new Make Yourself At Home campaign is launched.

It will ensure the hotel isn’t left flat-footed when the interstate flood gates reopen.

Crowne Plaza Hobart will open in July. Picture: FRANCOIS FOURIE

More than 100 staff will be employed there.

It is truly a project that has had to overcome obstacles, some only mother nature could throw at it, including flooding in the basement of the Myer store it sits atop and now this pandemic.

But when the lights officially turn on, the hotel can be a symbol of the resilience of a city and a state that can and will keep pushing through difficult times.

On a much smaller but equally positive note, Tasmania continues to welcome new small businesses despite the difficult times. While many eateries have struggled to stay afloat, relying on government assistance and takeaway-only models, the return of dine-in trade has spurred on a new cafe to take the plunge and join the bustling North Hobart hospitality trade.

After securing the lease in January, the trio of Marigold Cafe and Restaurant’s owners should be commended for pursuing their dream and seeing the first lifting of restrictions as the perfect opportunity to open rather than waiting for stage two or three in coming months.

An announcement by Premier Peter Gutwein is due this week on which infrastructure projects will be brought forward under what he called “the most aggressive construction program in Tasmania’s history”. This should offer hope to small businesses and big developers like Marigold and Crowne that the Government too is looking to get things moving again.

The Civil Contractors Federation and Master Builders Tasmania have been very vocal in their ideas for the Government in their joint 17-point plan for rebuilding Tasmania post-pandemic. They want to see the first home builder boost doubled to $40,000 for 12 months, the new major projects legislation fast-tracked as well as expedited land development for new homes.

A hurdle to overcome will be for parliament to pass the Building and Construction (Regulatory Reform Amendments) Bill.

State Growth Minister Michael Ferguson has said the need for clear, timely and efficient planning approval pathways has become a matter of increasing urgency and priority.

That is no more evident than in the latest employment data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which showed employment in construction had fallen by 6.5 per cent, or about 1300 jobs statewide, between March 14 and April 4.

The Government’s much-anticipated plan will be key to turning this and the state’s economy around. So go big, and deliver hard, so we can have a strong home.