Time for action on TFES

Senator Tammy Tyrrell, Independent Senator for Tasmania, says it’s time to take action and fix the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme.

“If Labor and the Liberals give a damn about Tasmania, they’ll commit to fixing the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme off the back of my Senate inquiry.

“The scheme is broken and isn’t helping Tassie producers and businesses the way it’s supposed to. They’re stuck with a system that is clunky, difficult to use and not worth the hours of paperwork for a tiny rebate. 

“Freight prices keep going up, but the rebate from the TFES hasn’t. If your costs are going up twice as fast as your rebates, you’re getting poorer every time. Businesses are going backwards. That’s why I set up the Senate inquiry, to look at why this scheme is failing Tassie businesses.” 

Senator Tyrrell backs calls from Fruit Growers Tasmania and the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce for immediate changes to the scheme while further reviews take place.

She also offered some advice to both parties in the Senate last week.

“Labor can make changes to TFES right now while they’re still in Government. And if the Liberals were smart, they’d commit to fixing the TFES before Labor does.

“Tasmanians are expecting action to fix this broken system. I’ve put the TFES on the agenda, and now it’s time to get it done.”