Ms O’CONNOR – Thank you, Chair. Premier, has Brand Tasmania provided you with any advice on threats to the brand and the state of the brand? You’ll recall the original debate we had over the legislation that established Brand Tasmania. We understood that would be part of the entity’s role.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Yes. Brand Tasmania sentiment and measurement work is focused on tracking perceptions of Tasmania and audience intentions in line with our ambitions in trade, tourism, and audience intentions. It is in line with our ambitions in trade, tourism, workforce attraction, and population growth, investment, and attraction, and student attraction, as I have mentioned. Across 2022-23, Brand Tasmania undertook qualitive sentiment research with young Tasmanians aged between 18 and 25, as well as additional quantity of sentiment tracking and the quality of research in 2023-24. All the research is available on Brand Tasmania’s website, and Brand Tasmania local and national research makes very clear that the fundamentals of the Tasmania’s brand have not changed significantly in five years. There are new challenges and opportunities to use our unique strengths to address those challenges.
Ms O’CONNOR – The question was have you been provided with any advice from Brand Tasmania since its establishment on any threats to the brand and the state of the brand? I understand you just detailed a survey there.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Yes, which is on the website.
Ms O’CONNOR – And advice on threats to the brand. Advice, for example, on your government’s decision to put native forest logging and burning into renewables, climate, and future industries Tasmania. Native forest logging and burning it’s renewable. It’s not climate positive, and it’s not a future industry. Did you, for example, receive advice from Brand Tasmania on whether or not that move fit the brand?
Mr ROCKLIFF – To the best of my knowledge, no.
Ms O’CONNOR – Do you think it does fit the brand to put native forest logging and burning into your renewables and climate agency?
Mr ROCKLIFF – Well, our forest industry is renewable.
Ms O’CONNOR – Native forest logging and burning is not renewable, premier. You are an intelligent man. You know that. But you know that. You know when you log and burn a forest, it takes more than a century for that carbon to be recaptured. You know that that burning is climate negative and damaging to future generations. You can’t say it’s a future industry. Other states and jurisdictions are moving away from native forest logging.
Mr ROCKLIFF – So I have answered your question directly to the best of my knowledge. Todd, do you have any –
Ms O’CONNOR – Perhaps the CEO does have thoughts on putting native forest logging into our renewables agency.
Mr ROCKLIFF – CEO has a very critical role across a range of areas. The sentiment survey –
Ms O’CONNOR – And yet, this happened.
Mr ROCKLIFF – The sentiment survey is of great interest to all stakeholders, particularly those that want to leverage Tasmania’s strong brand. Todd, would you add comments to reasoning behind the question add value to Ms O’Connor’s reasoning behind the question.
Mr BABIAK – The research, for example, is not only available to the premier, which we have distilled down to some advice, but to anyone. You can join us as a partner and find the latest quantitative and qualitative research, the way that people feel about us. But specifically on forestry, one example is the premier advised that I could go and participate in a very active way with the forest economics congress that Mona launched, and I have been involved with that, listening carefully, facilitating, listening to people talk about what is the future of Tasmanian timber and forests, and that is not so much my opinion, or even the opinion of the Tasmanian brand, the future of the Tasmanian brand. More how can you bring industry environmentalists, Tasmanian Aboriginal people together to build a future industry that could create value for Tasmanian communities into the future.
Ms O’CONNOR – Thank you for your answer, Mr Babiak. I’m not sure it answered the question, but it was a quite political question, so it was possibly unfair to ask you. I note, and I am very proud to see, that in Brand Tasmania’s strategic plan for 2019-24, recognition is given to civil society in Tasmania, talking about how Tasmania has built a global environmental movement from a small protest community. Do you acknowledge, premier, the importance of civil society and people who stand up to protect our forests and stand up for climate action? In fact, that is part of the culture and of our brand.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Yes, it’s a very good question.
Ms O’CONNOR – Thank you.
Mr ROCKLIFF – I think it’s also reflected in the very powerful piece that Brand Tasmania did around renewable energy in Tasmania, and the hydro industrialisation. Are you aware of that?
Ms O’CONNOR – I’ve seen the visuals, the ad.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Yes, which highlights through generations, the hydro industrialisation, but it also reflects in that piece some of the conflict around that as well, with the –
Ms O’CONNOR – Which saved the Franklin, premier.
Mr ROCKLIFF – With the no dams –
Ms O’CONNOR – Which you would be thankful for, in hindsight, I hope. I think.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Ms O’Connor, I’m really trying to be –
Ms O’CONNOR – Protests saved the Franklin.
Mr ROCKLIFF – I’m trying to be, you know, fair here and acknowledging all sides.
Ms O’CONNOR – I know. Go on.
Mr ROCKLIFF – What it does had headlines. I think they were Mercury headlines of no dams and protests, which is part of the story.
Ms O’CONNOR – That’s right.
Mr ROCKLIFF – And that’s what Brand Tasmania does. It very much tells the story of what it is to be Tasmanian, which can include the migrants that came to Tasmania and build hydro dams and those that also fought against some of that hydro industrialisation as well, which is part of the story, which is unique to Tasmania. So in that context, you know –
Ms O’CONNOR – Can I just –
Mr ROCKLIFF – I would also say that the broader environmental movement has brought awareness to Tasmania’s uniqueness in terms of our environment and other matters that we do very well when it comes to matters of the environment.
Ms O’CONNOR – Okay. My last question, and I necessarily must follow up on that.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Todd can correct me at any time if he feels I am going off track.
Ms O’CONNOR – I must follow up on that rubbery statement about how well we’re doing on the environment. Premier, you know you have received a copy of the state of the environment report that we are failing on more than half of the metrics, and the environment in Tasmania on key areas are particularly related to native forest logging is in decline. That damages our brand. Doesn’t it? Something like the state of the environment report which people can download and read and see the neglect and the undervaluing of this beautiful place’s environment. That damages our brand.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Well, the fact that we’re a sovereign state with our land mass that has 50 per cent in reserve adds value to our brand to the positive, too.
Ms O’CONNOR – Yes, it does, but you’ve got to have some consistency and authenticity in your brand.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Yes. That’s authentic.
Ms O’CONNOR – And so we go back to civil society.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Those reserves are authentic and –
Ms O’CONNOR – Can I just say we go back to civil society? You supported legislation that imposes draconian gaol terms on these very people who for decades have fought to protect Tasmania’s environment and strengthen our brand. Do you see all the contradictions here? You put native forest logging into your renewables sector. You talk about the importance of civil society and you’ve got legislation that locks people up for protecting the place. You talk about the importance of our environment and our good record. We don’t have a good record. Do you agree a lot more needs to be done to uphold the strength of our brand?
Mr ROCKLIFF – We certainly – our brand does need to be authentic, and the authenticity of what it means to be a Tasmanian is very important when it comes to brand awareness and the matters I’ve spoken about before. I said yesterday, I believe, in questions from Dr Woodruff around the need for continuous improvement when it comes to natural resource management –
Ms O’CONNOR – When are you going to start doing that, continuous improvement?
Mr ROCKLIFF – We are doing it. We are doing it.
Ms O’CONNOR – Okay. Thank you, member.
