Tasmania’s social and economic COVID-19 recovery council wants to hear from the community

The board charged with constructing a plan to help Tasmania recover from the coronavirus pandemic is asking community members to table their own ideas.

THE board charged with constructing a plan to help Tasmania recover from the coronavirus pandemic is asking community members to table their own ideas.

Chair of the state’s Economic and Social Recovery Council, Don Challen, yesterday said it was too early to set a timeline on Tasmania’s COVID-19 recovery but said strategies to minimise impacts on the state’s economy and social fabric were progressing.

The council will provide the State Government advice on immediate actions/initiatives by July and an interim report containing findings and recommendations by September to inform the development of the 2020-21 Budget.

Mr Challen said the council was keen to hear ideas and concerns to best understand the challenges being experienced by community members.

‘High-powered’ economic recovery team chair Don Challen is crowdsourcing ideas to fix the COVID-19 battered economy. Picture Chris Kidd

The board will undertake a three-stage consultation process with community consultation the focus during Stage 2, which will operate between July and August.

“Our most important message is that the council is very keen to have Tasmanians talking with us about our shared future,” Mr Challen said.

“We’ve got our own ideas but I’m sure there are people out there in the community with lots to offer and want to encourage them to bring them forward – to engage in a community conversation about this with us.”

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Mr Challen said he did not want to see Tasmanians “drag out old agendas”, but rather put forward new ideas and “new ways of working”.

While remaining coy about what the council’s recommendations to the State Government might look like, Mr Challen said coronavirus had presented some ideas for consideration.

“This crisis we’ve been going through has demonstrated there are different ways of doing things,” he said.

“Video conferencing, although perhaps a trivial example, has been beneficial for a number of Tasmanians.

“We’ve also seen how traffic congestion around Hobart has eased in recent months and I’m sure there’s a message in that.”

Tasmanians can present ideas for consideration by visiting www.pesrac.tas.gov.au.