Jeremy Rockliff’s failure to provide certainty for the North West Transmission Development puts the future of renewable energy investment in Tasmania at risk – along with thousands of local jobs and tens of billions in economic activity.

After Nick Duigan spectacularly signalled that the Liberals no longer believe the project is in Tasmania’s best interests, the business community expected Jeremy Rockliff to clean up his hopeless Minister’s comments.

Does Jeremy Rockliff’s government support this critical development, or not?

For years now, we’ve heard the same rhetoric from Jeremy Rockliff and his Ministers about the importance of the project, yet they’ve failed to deliver on the most basic commitments. There is still no finalised route, no agreement with landowners, and no confirmed costing for this critical project.

The Liberal minority government’s plan to privatise TasNetworks has thrown even more uncertainty into the mix.

Is Jeremy Rockliff’s reluctance to commit to the North West Transmission Development linked to the fact Peter Dutton plans to scrap the Rewiring the Nation Fund – critical funding for both NWTD and Marinus Link?

If the Premier is too weak to stand up to his Federal Leader and Peter Dutton follows through with his dangerous promise, it will have disastrous consequences for Tasmania’s renewable energy future. We can’t afford to miss out on billions in economic activity and thousands of local jobs, the North West Transmission Development needs certainty.

It was just last year that the TCCI said it would be difficult to trust the minority Rockliff Government ever again after its handling of the Spirits fiasco. Clearly that’s still the case.

Janie Finlay MP
Shadow Minister for Energy & Renewables