A plan to keep more young Tasmanians in the State and attract their peers to the island has been outlined in the latest population policy.
Released by the Tasmanian Government today, the Tasmanian Population Policy will deliver important initiatives in three key policy priorities: liveability, sustainability, and people and skills.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the Government is focussed on building the cities and towns needed for growing families and developing the workforce required to grow our State’s skills base.
“The successful delivery of our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future relies on critical measures like delivering our landmark infrastructure projects, growing our healthcare system and building more homes than ever before,” Premier Rockliff said.
“We acknowledge the significant contribution older Tasmanians make. They add vibrancy and experience in our workplaces and communities, go above and beyond as volunteers, and so often assist and support our growing families.
“But what we also know is that we need young people to continue to achieve our goals as a state, and I am excited about embarking on this longer term, strategic outlook to make Tasmania the best place to live, work and raise a family.
“We will deliver this renewed focus while still supporting Tasmanians of all ages and stages of life.”
The newly released strategy builds on the 2015 Population Growth Strategy, which set a population target of 650,000 people by 2050.
Tasmania’s population has grown at an unprecedented rate under successive Liberal Governments, having reached the interim population target of 570,000 people by 2030, eight years early.
Premier Rockliff said sustainable growth efforts to date have worked, and now we must build on this success through the next phase of planning.
“Our population policy and our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future will provide a living and working environment in which all Tasmanians can grow, create, and contribute to our community.
“We have outlined how we will achieve this bold population vision through our Action Plan, which includes significant investment to upskill, transform cities and towns, and deliver major infrastructure.”
Minister for Housing and Planning, and Skills and Training, Felix Ellis, said ensuring Tasmania is well positioned for the future is a top priority for the Tasmanian Government.
“We are transforming the planning system in Tasmania to improve housing affordability and diversity for our community now and into the future,” Minister Ellis said.
“We want all Tasmanians – especially our kids and our kids’ kids – to thrive in Tasmania and achieving this ambition will need innovative and well coordinated efforts across the public and private sectors.
“Ensuring Tasmania is a place where young people, working-age residents, including those looking to establish families, and older Tasmanians can thrive is critical to supporting our economy and enriching the social fabric of Tasmania for current and future generations.”
The new Tasmanian Population Policy is available at https://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/526331/ACTIVE_-_Tasmanias_Population_Policy_2_July.pdf
The Tasmanian Population Data Dashboard is available at https://www.population.tas.gov.au/population_policy