Andrea Dawkins MP | Greens’ Primary Industries spokesperson
The Liberals’ plan to move Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment staff from Hobart to the North and North West is hollow political pork-barreling. Their plan won’t create new job opportunities, unless existing, specialist staff resign.
If they really wanted to improve DPIPWE services and increase jobs in the North and North West, they should be boosting the Department’s funding.
More funding and extra DPIPWE jobs, as the Greens have long called for, would improve services and increase employment.
Under-funding DPIPWE has seen a series of animal welfare and biosecurity breaches, and water management and governance failings across the State. The Liberals have also overseen the starving of the Threatened Species Unit, and the funding to Parks reduced.
Tasmania trades its clean green brand, and in under-funding DPIPWE, the Liberals are putting that brand at serious risk.
If the Liberals were serious about northern jobs and our brand, they’d actually invest in DPIPWE and the critical services they provide.