Our Plan to Rebuild a Stronger Tasmania

Our Plan to

Rebuild a Stronger Tasmania

Photo courtesy of Stuart Gibson

OUR PLAN TO REBUILD A STRONGER TASMANIA

I know these past weeks have been tough for all Tasmanians.

The good news is, the sacrifices we are all undertaking are making a positive difference.

We went hard and fast with our response to coronavirus, leading the nation on border controls and other measures to protect Tasmanians.

Compared to other states, our population is older and more vulnerable, and that is why we take COVID-19 so seriously.

While some degree of physical distancing is going to be part of our way of life, at least until a vaccine or effective treatment is found for the coronavirus, I am hopeful that in coming weeks we might be able to consider a move, in gradual steps, back to the Tasmania we all know and love.

There are two distinct areas of recovery required to ensure our plan to rebuild a stronger Tasmania is effective:

• Economic Recovery; andSocial Support during Recovery

A message from

Peter GutweinPREMIER OF TASMANIA

It’s been humbling to hear your stories during these past weeks. To save the lives of your fellow Tasmanians, you’ve stayed home.

You’ve made great sacrifices, both in your lifestyle and in your businesses. Many of you have lost your jobs. Some, tragically, have lost people they love.

A dedicated Premier’s Social and Economic Recovery Advisory Council will assist to guide the recovery process. I do want to emphasise, this will be a slow and gradual process, and to start with we have to be sure we are on top of any broader community spread.

We must all continue to follow the rules and then easing restrictions can happen based on Public Health advice and with our Four Safeguards.

Rapid Response Capabilities

Increased testing

Greatly enhanced tracing capabilities

COVID-19 Safety Plans


On testing, through a partnership with the private sector and the Federal Government, we will double our testing capacity to around 2000 tests a day.

We encourage anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms to come forward. This will mean we can detect the virus quickly if it’s in the community.

Our Public Health tracing efforts over past weeks have worked very well, particularly in fighting the North-West outbreak, but we need your help to improve our tracing capacity even more.

This includes encouraging as many people as possible to download on their smart phones the Federal Government’s COVIDSafe Tracing App, which will help us all track, contain and stamp out this virus.

The tracing app is an important tool to help keep you,

your family and your friends safe against the coronavirus.

We will develop localised rapid response capabilities that could be implemented in regions or industry specific sites, if required.

This is to enhance current public health capabilities in response to an outbreak.

Based on national advice, we are developing COVID-19 safety minimum standards and will engage with industries, organisations and business to develop guidelines that will give more detail on how workplaces can meet these standards.

Using this information, workplaces can develop individual COVID-19 Safety Plans to ensure they are doing all they can to keep people safe as they continue to operate or when they re-open.

Thanks to everyone’s efforts and sacrifices, we have so far escaped the worst of the virus. We haven’t been affected like some other places we have seen, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and parts of Europe.

Peter GutweinPREMIER OF TASMANIA

Image courtesy of Adam Gibson

We all want a return to normality.

Once our safeguards are in place, we can gradually ease the current restrictions as much as we can, without risking a disastrous outbreak of the virus this winter.

In the meantime it is important

we continue to work together to

keep each other safe, and wherever

possible, stay home and save lives.


Tasmania’s coronavirus challenge came at the same time our economy was leading the nation, across a raft of key economic performance indicators.*

This means Tasmania’s core economic foundations – including our balance sheet, at the time our borders went up, and our jobs went down, was in a solid position.

The impact of coronavirus is unlike anything we have ever dealt with. Yet it’s encouraging to look into our history and to see that so much of what we most love about Tasmania was forged in times of hardship and struggle. Our determination, our ingenuity and our strong support for one another will help us rebuild a stronger Tasmania.

There continues to be significant uncertainty, and the road to recovery will depend on a range of inter-related social and economic factors.

The way that our broader economy operates and how our society interacts with it, will be considerably different to the recent past, and there will be challenges ahead.

The Premier’s Economic and Social Recovery Advisory Council has been established to provide advice to the Government on strategies and initiatives to support the short to medium and the longer term recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our plan to

The Recovery Council is made up of individuals from across the business and community sectors, and will leverage the experience, knowledge and resourcefulness of these community leaders to advise the Premier on the opportunities for economic and social initiatives to rebuild a stronger and more resilient Tasmanian community and to strengthen and renew the Tasmanian economy.

The Council will provide advice to the Government for a roadmap to recovery to rebuild a stronger Tasmania.

*For example, CommSec State of the States Report, April 2020; Gross State Product (ABS); Business Confidence and conditions (Sensis)

Rebuild a Stronger Tasmania, Together

The Premier’s Economic and Social Recovery Advisory Council will:• identify additional immediate short term actions as

well as, the medium and longer term issues to be addressed by government, the community and the private sector to facilitate sustainable economic growth and mitigate the social impacts of COVID19;

• target sectors in which Tasmania has, or can develop, a competitive and brand advantage;

• capture opportunities for, or identify impediments to employment growth;

• support and enable Tasmanians to take advantage of a different way of life and work and business, or to reinvent themselves in new and emerging industries; and

• identify opportunities to address the impacts of COVID-19 on the community through sustainable social initiatives.

Image courtesy of S. Group


01.Increasing testing

Expanded testing is one of the crucial precedent conditions the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) has set for the National Cabinet to achieve before further easing social distancing and economic restrictions.

We welcome the critically important partnership between the Australian Government, Minderoo Foundation and private pathology providers, which has successfully secured an additional 10 million COVID-19 test kits and more pathology equipment for use around the country.

We have already increased our testing and will use the additional resourcing to ramp up testing capability and expand the testing criteria even further.

Our Safeguards

Image courtesy of Luke Tscharke

To rebuild a stronger Tasmania, we will rely on four fundamental safeguards to help better protect Tasmanians from the risk of coronavirus.

The diversification of COVID-19 testing ensures adequate testing capability across Tasmania as we ramp up our testing efforts statewide over the next few weeks.

Expanded testing will also help us to protect health workers on the front line, and ensure the health care systems across the state remain strong in the face of future challenges.


03.Rapid Response Capabilities

02.Greatly enhanced tracing capability

Our manual tracing efforts over the past weeks have worked well, particularly in fighting the North-West outbreak, but we need your help to improve our tracing capacity even more.

This is what the COVIDSafe Tracing App is all about. Importantly, the tracing app doesn’t monitor your geographic movements, unlike many popular apps already on your phone which access its GPS locator.

What it does, via Bluetooth, is record the contact details of any other phones with the tracing app that you are within close proximity of for more than 15 minutes at a time.

So, if you spend time with someone who is later found to have the coronavirus, subject to their approval, public health officials can access the tracing app contact data from their phone for the last 21 days only, and if necessary, contact you to let you know you might be at risk.

The data is only used by health officials and it is protected by strong privacy laws.

It is an important tool to help keep you, your family and your friends safe against coronavirus.

The COVIDSafe app speeds up the current manual process of finding people who have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19. This means you’ll be contacted more quickly if you are at risk.

As a result, it reduces the chances of you passing on the virus to your family, friends and other people in the community.

To download the app:

Open the iOS App Store or GooglePlay Store on your device, search and “COVIDSafe”

Our rapid response capability will be by a core group of 15 staff in Public Health, Tasmania Police, Department of Health and other agencies.

An inter-agency staffing capacity will also be established across the state service, where appropriately trained officers are effectively on stand-by, enabling rapid call-up should an outbreak response be required. This call-up will depend on the specific threat being dealt with and could result in a further 50 or more staff being added to the core rapid response team.

It is likely that these arrangements will be in place for the next 12 to 18 months, to ensure that Tasmania is able to respond if and when an outbreak occurs.

The State Control Centre, Public Health Services and the Department of Health are continuing to work closely to ensure we have the resource requirements and processes in place for delivering the rapid response capacity.


The Government’s Safe Workplaces Framework has been established to give life to the nationally agreed principles through firstly introducing minimum COVID-19 safety minimum standards based on public health advice. Secondly providing guidance to industry on how they can make sure their workplaces are complying with the minimum standards.

Using this information, workplaces will be able to develop their individual COVID-19 Safety Plans. We have engaged and will continue to engage with industries, organisations and businesses to develop COVID-19 safety guidance for sectors to support them in applying the minimum standards.

As workplaces reopen they will need to demonstrate their compliance. In addition, a transition period for workplaces which have continued to operate will apply.

Most workplaces that have continued to operate will likely be able to demonstrate that they meeting the minimum standards in the measures they have already applied.

04.COVID-19 Safety Plans

Buy Something Tasmanian

Tasmanians have always worked harder for our success, and we’ve done it as a community. It’s who we are.

If we’re careful and courageous, if we’re determined, if we’re kind, if we support one another, we will rebuild – stronger than before.

Right now we can support our community, our neighbours and our business. Smile from afar. Eat and drink Tasmanian, buy Tasmanian, back Tasmanian.

This is the Tasmanian way.

See who is open for business in your community, and how to support them, at buysomethingtasmanian.com.au Image courtesy of Alastair Bett

Principles guiding COVID-19 Safety Plans:

• Don’t go to work if you’re unwell;

• Practice good hygiene;

• Abide by physical distancing rules;

• Frequently clean common and public areas; and

• Use PPE in line with national guidelines and industry standards.

• Provide information and training.

It won’t be a one size fits all approach and the plans will depend on the nature of the environment.

Businesses and other organisations should visit the www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au website on Monday 11 May 2020 for information, fact sheets and guidance.

The Business Tasmania Hotline can be contacted on 1800 440 026 to assist.


Easing Restrictions

By working together we have minimised the spread of the coronavirus. Now, we can start carefully returning to normal, and rebuild a stronger Tasmania. Our Four Safeguards – tracking, tracing, rapid response and COVID-19 Safety Plans – will help keep us all safe. But we need your help to safely return to normal. Please, stick to the Tasmanian Rules to keep you and your family safe.

Image courtesy of Lusy Productions

Increased Testing

Enhanced Tracing

Rapid Response

Capabilities

COVID-19 Safety Plans


Our Roadmap to Recovery

• Funerals – increase from 10 to 20 attendees.

• Aged care visits - one visit per week and no more than two visitors, managed by the facility.

• National parks and reserves - open to residents for exercise within 30km of their home.

• TasTAFE campuses and training facilities open for invited small groups of students only attending practical learning and assessment sessions.

11 May 2020

18 May 2020

• Kindergarten to Year 6 students return to learning at school.

• Year 11 and 12 students at extension schools and colleges return to learning at school.

• Aged care visits - move to national restrictions of two visitors, once a day.

25 May 2020

Stage One - subject to Public Health advice

• Gatherings increase to 10 people (except visitors to households for any purpose, which is capped at 5 people) for indoor and outdoor, including real estate, small religious gatherings and weddings. Funerals can extend to 30 people outdoors.

• Restaurants and cafes in all settings (including restaurants in pubs, clubs, hotels and RSLs) to open and seat patrons of up to 10 people at a time. Seated table service only with social distancing.

• Border controls remain in place, except Tasmanian residents can quarantine in their principal residence if it is suitable.

• Community and local government facilities and libraries allowed to open for up to 10 people.

• Park exercise equipment and playgrounds, pools and boot camps open for up to 10 people.

• Vulnerable people* are encouraged to stay home and protect their health.

The easing of restrictions will continue to be based on Public Health advice. Changes will be made depending on Tasmania’s circumstances. For more information, visit www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au or call the Tasmanian Public Health Hotline: 1800 671 738


• Gatherings: 50 – 100 (indoor/outdoor) with the maximum allowable number to be determined by Public Health.

• Aged care homes allowed 5 visitors and multiple visits

• Border controls remain in place.

• Consider opening bars, night clubs and casinos/gaming.

• Markets to open, subject to Public Health advice.

• Food courts and food vans at markets may open.

• Spas and bathhouses to reopen.• Day trips and camping for school groups allowed.• Outdoor community sport^ to resume, with numbers to be guided by

Public Health.• Indoor sport and recreation^, including pools with numbers to be guided

by Public Health.• Vulnerable people* are encouraged to stay home and protect their health.

• Grades 11 and 12 return in Government extension schools• Gatherings increase to 20 people at a time for indoor and outdoor, including restaurants/cafes, cinemas, museums, galleries, historic sites, religious gatherings and weddings.

• Visitors to households to be reviewed.

• Funerals up to 50 people.

• Accommodation, unlimited.

• Camping, overnight boating and shacks open.

• Open homes and auctions can resume with 20 people.

• Border controls remain in place.

• Gyms and boot camps for up to 20 people.

• Beauty services (including tattoo, nails, waxing, facials and tanning) for up to 20 people.

• Park exercise equipment and playgrounds open for up to 20 people.• Outdoor community sport^ to resume, with up to 20 athletes/personnel.• Indoor sport and recreation^, including pools with up to 20 people,

no spectators.• Vulnerable people* are encouraged to stay home and protect their health.

15 June 2020

Stage Two - subject to Public Health advice

13 July 2020

Stage Three - subject to Public Health advice

Monday, 18 May 2020 • High school students from years 7 to 10 students return to learning at school.9 June 2020

Monday, 18 May 2020 • Racing resumes (subject to a review and risk-assessment by Public Health).13 June 2020

*Vulnerable people includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 50 years and older with one or more chronic medical conditions. People 65 years and older with chronic medical conditions. People 70 years and older. People with compromised immune systems, and people with a disability.

^As guided by AIS proposed framework for rebooting community sport.


Unprecedented support for Tasmanians

• Households and Individuals support: ◦ Pandemic Emergency Assistance Grants ◦ Emergency accommodation and support ◦ Government fees and charges relief ◦ Additional No Interest Loan Scheme

(NILS) funding ◦ Halt on residential evictions for a 90 day period ◦ Driver’s License Renewal changes ◦ Accommodation for frontline workers ◦ Social housing rent relief ◦ School levy refunds ◦ Funding for workers to retrain ◦ Support for Temporary Visa Holders ◦ Emergency food relief

• Healthcare and mental health support: ◦ $5 million Primary Healthcare provider fund ◦ Increased Telehealth capacity ◦ Additional $4 million towards mental

health services and drug and alcohol services

• Community support: ◦ $5 million Community Support Fund ◦ Additional $2.7 million towards Family Violence ◦ Supporting vulnerable children with $2.5 million ◦ Foster and Kinship Carers Support ◦ Neighbourhood houses support ◦ Sport and Recreation support ◦ Returned Service League support

◦ Housing and homelessness assistance ◦ Private Rental Incentive Scheme up to

75additional houses

• Business support: ◦ Payroll tax relief for small businesses ◦ $60 million Small Business Grants program ◦ $50 million Small Business Interest Free

Loan Scheme ◦ $150 million Local Government Loans Program ◦ Electricity and water quarterly bill waiver for

small business ◦ Motor tax relief for impacted businesses ◦ Land tax relief for impacted businesses ◦ Freezing Government fees and charges ◦ Digital Ready and Business Continuity

Advice Programs ◦ $50 million public building maintenance program ◦ $6.3 million skills funding to support retrenched

workers, upskill existing workers

• Industry support: ◦ Government lease and license fee waivers ◦ Tourism and hospitality relief and support ◦ Seafood and fishery fee and licence relief ◦ Cultural and creative industry fund ◦ Critical air freight for industry and our islands ◦ Taxi license fee waivers ◦ Racing industry support package

The Tasmanian Government’s $1 billion social and economic support packages are unprecedented in the history our State in both size and breadth. These packages comprise measures to support our health, our businesses and jobs, households and individuals, and our community.

Rec ver. Re build.

Version 1.0 l 8 May 2020

Our Plan to Rebuild a Stronger Tasmania

Documents

Transcript of Our Plan to Rebuild a Stronger Tasmania