Legislative Council says ‘yes’ to discrimination and ‘no’ to economic growth

The Tasmanian Legislative Council has today cost the Tasmanian economy millions of dollars of additional tourism income through rejecting the Same-Sex marriage bill, Greens Tourism spokesperson Senator Peter Whish-Wilson stated earlier today.

“What the Upper House has done today is pave the way for another state, such as South Australia, which is considering similar legislation, to profit from the Council’s blinkered approach,’ Senator Whish-Wilson said.

“These are the same people who continually bemoan the state of our economy and the lack of job creation.

“This wasn’t just about being socially progressive, something Tasmania has a proud history on in this area, but also the significant economic benefits.

“Tourism employs nearly 15 per cent of the Tasmanian workforce and is a major contributor to gross state product.

“However, like other areas of the economy it’s labouring under the weight of a high dollar and a fall off in tourism numbers.

“Recent reports examining the economic stimulus from passing same-sex marriage bills in areas such as the state of Massachusetts indicate the potential stimulus to our economy would be around $96m across a five-year period, creating potentially hundreds of new jobs.

“Our economy is already geared toward supporting tourism, so this isn’t something foreign, rather tapping into a significant new market.

“While I welcome any state going down this road, if Tasmania was to reap the maximum economic gain we needed to be first past the post.

“The members of Tasmania’s Legislative Council have today said ‘yes’ to continuing discrimination and ‘no’ to growing our tourism sector.”