Assistant Treasurer and Labor Senator for Tasmania, Senator Nick Sherry and Sid Sidebottom MP, Federal Member for Braddon, have today announced Australian Government funding to support jobs and traineeships in the local region.
The two new local projects will receive a total of almost $2.8 million dollars – and follow two earlier announcements totalling more than $1.5 million.
The new projects are:
- The restoration of the Tasmanian tall ship – the Julie Burgess.
- The establishment of four community infrastructure construction and maintenance teams.
These local projects will receive funding under the Australian Government's Job Fund.
"The Rudd Government is investing in employment and training initiatives across Australia and these projects will secure jobs in our local region," the Assistant Treasurer said.
The Devonport City Council will receive $1.87 million under the first round of the Get Communities Working and the Local Jobs Streams of the Australian Government's $650 million Jobs Fund.
"These funds will help restore the ketch, the Julie Burgess, to its former glory to be the centrepiece of the proposed Julie Burgess Maritime Discovery Centre," the Assistant Treasurer said.
"I'm really pleased that this innovative and exciting job creating project has won approval in a very competitive process," Mr Sidebottom said.
"The Julie Burgess project will create jobs in the restoration phase and also enhance important ship building and shipwright skills."
"It will also promote further tourism and add to the economy of Devonport and the whole North-West region," Mr Sidebottom said.
The remaining $910,000 will be go to the O Group Inc for community based projects to create or retain 58 jobs, 42 traineeships and 100 work experience positions on the North-West Coast, in Bass and in Lyons.
"The O Group has proved itself to be an excellent advocate of skills development and the promotion of job opportunities, particularly for the unemployed."
"Their project should see many more people given the opportunity to participate in work experience, skills enhancement and the gaining of important employment extension."
The Assistant Treasurer said these latest announcements add to the $1.5 in funds for the Burnie City Council's Waterfront Boardwalk Project and the Mersey Natural Resource Management Group for feral tree removal.
"This local area will not be immune to the effects of the global downturn," the Assistant Treasurer said
"But the Australian Government is taking decisive action to help insulate local economies from the worst effects of the global recession."