Attachment - Part 5

Trade development beginning

Interim Trade Action Plan

An Interim Trade Action Plan (ITAP) has been developed in response to the trade disruption caused by COVID-19 and identifies actions which address urgent and immediate needs for exporters over the next six months.

The Tasmanian Government announced on 14 July 2020 an additional $2.65 million funding suport for trade development that will help producers, exporters and manufacturers adjust to the new business climate over the next two years.

This funding commitment will help to deliver 41 initiatives under the ITAP. Each initiative is tailored to either assist businesses to maintain global trade or to ensure the Tasmanian brand does not dilute in global markets during the lengthy disruption period.

All the actions outlined below are new, however they support the key objectives of the existing Tasmanian Trade Strategy:

• An Asia Market Engagement Plan - $500 000
• Establishment of Tasmanian Trade Advocates/Business Development Managers (2 years) - $1 million
• Revitalised Accelerating Trade Grant Program - $350 000
• Trade (Industry) Marketing Campaigns - $500 000
• Dedicated Defence and Maritime Campaign and prospectus(s) - $300 000

The Accelerating Trade Grant Program has been boosted to encourage Tasmanian businesses impacted by COVID-19 to continue their export market development plans.

The Grants can be used for new e-commerce opportunities, helping businesses build their online reputation, as well as support market research and business-matching services, promotional activities and materials, supply chain efficiency improvements and cluster development.

Training and skills

Rapid Response Skills Initiative

On 27 March 2020, the Government announced that an additional $6.3 million was being made available through the Rapid Response Skills Initiative (RRSI) to support individuals who have lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19. Eligible individuals can apply for up to $3,000 to get career advice, reskill or obtain licences they need to get their next job.

605 applications for subsidised training were received between 1 March 2020 and 3 August 2020, and 416 have been assessed and approved.

To help move workers into new jobs as quickly as possible, a Skills Matching Service has been established to help match job ready workers with industries and businesses who need staff now. A Grant Deed of $200,000 for the period from April to November 2020 has been enacted with Searson Buck Group Ltd to provide this service.

As at 3 August 2020:

• 255 job seekers had registered with the service;
• 343 displaced workers had been connected with local employers, or assisted to apply for other advertised opportunities;
• 130 job seekers have been referred back to the Rapid Response Skills Initiative for re-training or personalised careers advice; and
• 23 displaced workers who have registered with the service have gained employment.

This funding will also support the $1.5 million Train Now Fund that provides subsidised training to:

• ensure employers who have urgent training needs can access funding support;
• improve the likelihood of businesses remaining sustainable;
• increase the future productivity of the business to support economic recovery and growth; and
• increase the skill level and future employability of employees who remain with their employer, through completion of nationally recognised training.

Train Now Fund

Skills Tasmania released and allocated the $1.5 million Train Now Fund to help employers up skill their existing workforce for a very different looking economy. The new program subsidises training places at 100 per cent of the Skills Tasmania subsidy rate and complements existing competitive funding streams such as the Adult Learning Fund and the Skills Fund.

Applications for the Train Now Fund opened on 29 April 2020 and closed on 16 June 2020 due to requests already in excess of the $1.5 million budget allocation. This funding has supported 69 employers, mostly sole trainers and small businesses, to train over 1,400 individuals.

TasTAFE: ‘SKILL UP for your future’ program

The TasTAFE ‘SKILL UP for your future’ program was announced on 11 May 2020, to support redundant and unemployed Tasmanians re-enter the workforce and upskill, reskill or gain new skills, ready to enter into employment or change careers once the economy starts to recover from COVID-19.

The SkillUp program has been hugely successful, offering fee free online short courses and skill sets across a range of industries including Health, ICT, Community Services, Business, and Hospitality and Tourism – as well as a number of skills sets designed to get people job-ready.

Demand for the Basic Computing Essentials course was particularly strong, and to meet demand, TasTAFE has responded by making a second course available for a start date on 20 July 2020. TasTAFE has now also opened up applications for a second round of some SKILL-UP courses beginning in August 2020.

Skills Fund and Adult Learning Fund

On 30 July 2020, the Tasmanian Government announced $3.6 million in funding support for learning programs to help Tasmanians to gain new skills and improve their employability.

The Skills Fund will see more than $1.1 million provided to seven Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) for more than 1,500 training places across key sectors including construction, manufacturing and disability care.

In addition, the latest round of the Adult Learning Fund will provide almost $2.5 million across 10 Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to support training for 550 Tasmanians in high-demand areas including aged services, disability and early childhood education and care.

Tourism and hospitality

The Government’s first stimulus and support package included a combined $100,000 to the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania (TICT) and the Tasmanian Hospitality Association (THA) for training in the tourism and hospitality sectors. A further $200,000 was provided to the THA to provide business continuity and cashflow advice to businesses affected by COVID-19, increasing the THA funding for this initiative to $250,000.

As at 9 June 2020, the THA had individually contacted a total of 2,226 hospitality businesses in Tasmania, both non-members and members, to advise them of the support that is available and navigating them through the process. The THA is now moving into a second phase of support, which includes an online coaching forum with a series of modules on how to ensure businesses are enabled to maximise profitability in this new environment.

The TICT has a target of assisting 200 tourism operators during the shut-down period.

Cultural and creative industries

Arts and Screen Digital Production Fund

To support screen practitioners, artists and arts organisations whose work has been cancelled, postponed or disrupted by COVID-19, grants of up to $10,000 for individuals and $50,000 for organisations is available through the Arts and Screen Digital Production Fund. This funding will help artists and arts organisations to work with Tasmanian screen professionals to make content in Tasmania for digital distribution and promotion.

Applications for the Arts and Screen Digital Production Fund closed on 4 May 2020. Seventy eight applications were received, with 29 being supported to the value of $506,396. This will provide direct employment to 168 arts and screen professionals.

Additional Screen Development Fund

The Government also committed $250,000 of additional screen development funding, which is being delivered through Screen Tasmania’s Project Development Program. This program opened on 16 March 2020 and closed on 15 April 2020. A record 25 applications were received for this round, and a total of 13 applications were approved, with all projects being of an extremely high standard. The adaptation of an award-winning Tasmanian novel and the prequel of one of Australia’s most successful television series are among the 13 successful projects to benefit from the Tasmanian Government’s additional development round.

Tasmanian Contemporary Music Fund

To support Tasmanian contemporary musicians whose engagements have been cancelled due to COVID-19 to record music and music videos for digital distribution and promotion, grants of up to $15,000 were made available. Projects must take place in Tasmania and support Tasmanian musicians to work with other Tasmanian artists and production professionals.

Applications closed on 4 May 2020 with 97 applications received. Twenty-two applications have been successful, to the value of $255,041. This will provide direct employment to 150 music and music production professionals.

Additional funding to arts organisations

The Government has also committed $500,000 to support arts organisations impacted by COVID-19.

Applications for this funding closed on 13 July 2020. A total of 27 applications were received and assessment of the applications is due to take place in August 2020.

Individuals and Groups Arts support program

The Tasmanian Government announced an additional funding boost to 60 Tasmanian artists through the latest Individuals and Groups Arts support program round. A total of more than $349,000 has been awarded to these artists to help deliver 23 projects across of a variety of artistic platforms including music, theatre, visual art, writing and dancing.

Applications for this funding round were independently assessed by expert peers drawn from the Cultural and Creative Industries Register.

Healthcare sector

Primary Healthcare Grants

As at 31 July 2020, 496 GPs and pharmacies have received grants of up to $10,000 to support the continuation of essential primary healthcare services during the COVID-19 emergency.

Telehealth capacity

To increase Telehealth capability, 20 virtual rooms have been expanded to accommodate up to 5,000 virtual appointment bookings. This expansion has resulted in improved provision of care statewide. These services enable patients to connect via Telehealth from their local health service, through to their clinicians who may be sitting in a clinic at the other end of the State. This has resulted in:

• 1,200 per cent increase in the delivery of appointments using telehealth from March to June 2020;
• 369,000 kilometres of patient travel saved;
• 4,488 hours of travel time saved for patients;
• 34 flights intra and interstate saved; and
• 67 metric tonnes of carbon emission saved from reduced travel.

Seafood industry

There are 680 wild fisheries licence holders that are eligible to receive fee relief from the $4.3 million of stimulus support for the wild fisheries sectors. To date, 672 eligible fishing licence holders have applied for a refund of fees already paid and 671 have been refunded. There are 8 further eligible fishers who have not yet applied for the refund and the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment is in contact with these fishers. Fees covered by this initiative for fishers whose licence renewals have not fallen due will not be invoiced.

Licence fee relief for shellfish farming was fully implemented as at 30 April as this fee was not charged during the licence renewal process. 152 shellfish farmers applied for, and have received, the 12 month rental waiver.

Every shellfish marine farming licence holder, subject to the ShellMAP levy, has received advice that the levy for the coming year has been waived. This amounts to over $7,000 in levy waivers per licence and collectively this relief amounts to $770,000 across the shellfish marine farming industry.

The annual accreditation fee required under the Primary Produce Safety (Seafood) Regulations 2014 will also be waived for the 2019-20 financial year. The estimated cost of waiving the fee is approximately $39,000 and it will benefit seafood producers including approximately 66 bivalve mollusc producers and 65 abalone divers.

Critical air freight for industry and our islands

The Government has committed $1 million to support international air freight movements and $1.6 million to maintain essential airfreight services to the Bass Strait Islands.

The Tasmanian Government is providing direct support to:

• Sharp Airlines to maintain scheduled passenger services to King and Flinders Islands, including capacity for time sensitive freight.
• TasFast Freight to continue regular services between Tasmania and King Island and Victoria for the export of live seafood and the transport of time sensitive medical supplies into Tasmania.

Since 27 May 2020, the Tasmanian Government and Australian Government have jointly supported two additional freight flights per week between Hobart and Sydney to enable Tasmanian producers of fresh products, particularly high value seafood, to connect with flights to international markets. This arrangement was for an initial 12 week period and has recently been extended until the end of September 2020.

The Tasmanian Government is working the Australian Government regarding options for additional capacity over the summer peak season. The Department of State Growth is consulting extensively with industries participating in air exports, including seafood, fruit, meat and dairy to understand demand through that peak season.