spud fight – concern about importing potatoes from South Australia was played down by Guy Barnett, Minister for Primary Industries and Water. “The Chief Plant Health Manager approved a conditional exemption to export potatoes to a South Australian company in June this year,” he said. “This decision was made due to SA being free of two specific diseases that are the subject of current import requirements, and is consistent with agreed terms of biosecurity risk management and trade. Representatives from Biosecurity Tasmania have also met with a number of growers this morning and will continue to work with the industry to ensure our strong biosecurity standards are upheld.”
Earlier, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Shane Broad, accused the Liberals of “putting the industry at risk” by unnecessarily importing potatoes. “The Liberals are threatening local jobs and investment by unnecessarily importing potatoes that have not been assessed for diseases,” Dr Broad said. “By failing to update import criteria to consider all diseases that exist in South Australia, and are not in Tasmania, the Liberals are putting the state’s entire potato industry at risk. Local farmers are already meeting the demand and a failure to put in place an injunction will not only undercut the local market but also risk our disease‑free status and the Tasmanian brand. At a time when we should be on the front foot for buying local, the Liberals are standing by while potatoes are brought here at a cheaper price than what our farmers can produce.” He noted that Tasmanian consumers have no way of knowing what’s South Australian and what’s Tasmanian because there’s no ‘state of origin’ labelling.
TasNetworks – Chief Executive Officer, Lance Balcombe, has announced his intention to step down. He will leave on 25 March, 2021, after seven-and-a-half years at the helm. Balcombe is the inaugural CEO of TasNetworks and played a key role in founding the business after the merger of Transend Networks and Aurora Energy’s distribution business. The Chairman of TasNetworks, Dr Dan Norton AO, said Balcombe has been a highly successful CEO and a great leader. “Lance led the team that launched TasNetworks in 2014 and has overseen the growth and development of the business ever since,” Dr Norton said. “As CEO, he’s presided over impressive customer service, customer ratings, and customer engagement improvements that have lifted TasNetworks’ standing in the eyes of Tasmanians. “Importantly, under Lance’s leadership, networks charges for Tasmanian customers have also been driven down to the same levels of a decade ago, while still maintaining reliability and safety.”
The TasNetworks Board will initiate a recruitment process to find Balcombe’s successor.
Year 11 & 12 – Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Education and Training, announced further support will be provided to Tasmanian Year 11 and 12 students whose learning has been impacted by COVID-19. The Premier’s Economic and Social Recovery Advisory Council (PESRAC) Interim Report contained a recommendation around accelerating existing strategies to deliver improved educational opportunities. “We are delivering on Recommendation 41 which is to assist Tasmanian Year 11 and 12 students at risk of not meeting the requirements of the TCE in 2020/21,” he said. “TASC have now granted Recognised Formal Learning to six General Capabilities Short Qualifications, allowing for delivery of the short qualifications in Term 4 to DoE and non-government Year 11 and 12 students. The qualifications are 20 hours in duration and successful completion contributes two level 2 credit points towards the TCE. By undertaking these short qualifications, students will increase their understanding and aptitude in the areas of critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, intercultural understanding and ethical understanding.”
Tasmanian Labor welcomed the announcement, saying that Shadow Education Minister Josh Willie had been consistently calling on the government to provide more support to Tasmanian students to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on learning. “It’s important that the needs of all students who are struggling to meet the requirements of the Tasmanian Certificate of Education are responded to,” Willie said. “Students going through key transition points and other vulnerable cohorts will clearly benefit from more investment in catch-up learning. “I strongly support the moves announced today allowing students who are undertaking Vocational Education and Training units to make up credits towards their TCE. Tasmanian school students already had poor outcomes before the pandemic, so we must ensure ‘catch-up’ learning is available so this disadvantage is not carried forward. Labor is also urging the government to adopt its policy of dedicated mental health workers in all schools, so that Tasmanian students have additional wellbeing supports during this challenging time.”
Excellence in Women’s Leadership award – Hobart Councillor Zelinda Sherlock is the recipient of a 2020 award from Women’s Leadership Australia. The recent award applauds Councillor Sherlock’s advocacy for equity and access through her efforts to establish programs like the Housing with Dignity Reference Group and the Social Inclusion Index. Councillor Sherlock is also Chairperson of City of Hobart’s Community, Culture and Events Committee.
“I was extremely honoured and humbled,” said Sherlock. “For me, this award is not about what it means to me – but what it represents for others in our community. I see this award as representing the change that I have been lucky enough to be a part of. An award that represents a change towards having leadership voices in our community that reflects the changing face of Hobart today.” She said she wants community organisations and local government to be honest. “Have those uncomfortable and challenging conversations about access and opportunities. Denying or defending that we do not live in an unequal society or a racist based one or one that doesn’t carry bias at different levels – is not realistic.”
Bothwell fraud – Following a long investigation by Tasmania Police and the Central Highlands Council, a woman has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of fraud. The fraud allegedly relates to a period of offending between 2013 and 2020 involving property obtained from various suppliers of Central Highlands Council to a value of $135,000. A 37 year old Bothwell woman has been bailed to appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court at 9.30am on 4 November 2020 charged with: Stealing x 5, Fraud x 111, Dishonestly Acquiring a Financial Advantage x 7, Forgery x 1, Uttering x 1.
disability sector left behind – Tasmanians with disabilities and the people who care for them are being left behind in the state’s response to COVID-19, according to Shadow Minister for Disability Jo Siejka MLC. She said a highly vulnerable section of the population is being put at risk because the government has no plan for the disability sector. “People with disabilities are among the highest risk groups, in terms of their vulnerability to COVID, due to existing conditions. Yet disability workers have not had access to PPE on the same basis as other sectors. The National Stockpile Initiative has not responded to disability providers as a priority. Access to COVID 19 testing has not been made a priority. Now the government is easing border restrictions, workers in the sector want to know how they can protect themselves and the people they care for, and keep them safe. For Jeremy Rockliff to say a preparedness and response plan is being developed is insulting to the sector. The government has had 7 months to do the work – has it only just dawned on them that they’ve overlooked the disability sector?”
Elwick Hotel ‘goes low’ – the Hotel allowed a woman with an obvious and severe cognitive disability to ‘put her food money’ into a poker machine, according to Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, and Salvation Army Captain Jeff Milkins. They said the woman, who has the understanding of a 5-year-old, was distraught and in tears. “She told us she had and I quote ‘put her food money into a machine and it didn’t come back out’,” Captain Milkins said. “With a bit further questioning we discovered that she had gone to the Elwick Hotel and put her money into a poker machine. Thankfully she was only allowed $5 that day. She was so upset that she had lost her food money. We fed her, calmed her down, made contact with her carer and made sure she headed home.” Captain Milkins said it was concerning the venue did not stop her. “Nobody who saw her could not realise she has a severe mental disability,” he said. “She is over 18 years of age but does not have the cognitive ability to make an informed decision about whether to gamble. We’re hoping this was an isolated incident but my gut feeling tells me it’s not. There are obviously no safeguards in place.”
Andrew Wilkie said the poker machine industry cares only for harvesting as much money as possible from the community. “I thought I’d heard it all and that I couldn’t be surprised anymore by the ruthless and predatory poker machine industry,” he said. “But to learn that the industry would stoop so low as to steal the lunch money from somebody who is basically a child sets a new low. The state government needs to investigate and hold Federal to account.” Federal Group own the Elwick Hotel in Glenorchy, which was identified as Tasmania’s number-one hotel for poker machine losses based on Treasury data from 2015-16. Each poker machine there raked in nearly $150,000 a year — more than three times the state average and much more than most Tasmanians could hope to earn. Wilkie said the state government had to introduce better harm minimisation on poker machines, including tougher fines for venues.
rental scams – Australians have lost over $300,000 to rental and accommodation scams this year, an increase of 76 per cent compared to the same time last year. Scamwatch has received 560 reports of rental scams so far this year, an increase of 56 per cent, with many using tactics related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These scams target people seeking new rental accommodation by offering fake rental properties to convince people into handing over money or personal information.
“Scammers are offering reduced rents due to COVID-19 and using the government restrictions to trick people into transferring money without inspecting the property,” ACCC Deputy Commissioner Delia Rickard said. The scammer will post advertisements on real estate or classified websites or target people who have posted on social media that they are looking for a room. After the victim responds, the scammer will request an upfront deposit to secure the property or phish for personal information through a ‘tenant application form’, promising to provide the keys after the payment or information is provided. The scammer may come up with excuses for further payments and the victim often only realises they have been scammed when the keys don’t arrive and the scammer cuts off contact. Some scammers will even impersonate real estate agents and organise fake inspections, victims will then arrive to discover the property doesn’t exist or is currently occupied.
“The loss of personal information through rental scams is becoming more common, with scammers requesting copies of identity documents such as passports, bank statements or payslips,” Rickard said. “Once a scammer has your personal information you are at risk of being targeted by further scams or identity theft.” She recommended trying to view a property in person before paying any bond or rent money to landlords or real estate agents, although she noted that in areas of Victoria under COVID-19 level 4 restrictions this is not possible. “You can help protect yourself by doing an online search to confirm the property exists and, if dealing with an agent, checking that the agent you are dealing with is licensed.” She also encouraged potential renters to contact their state consumer protection agency for information on bond requirements and tenants’ rights in their state.
