Chef Jamie stirs tourism pot

TASMANIANS are rolling out the welcome mat for Jamie Oliver in a bid to lure the famous chef to our shores.

The king of chefs has declared his desire to visit and now the push is on to get him here.

Tourism and hospitality groups say a visit from Oliver could boost the state's international reputation as a foodie paradise and help tackle Tasmania's obesity epidemic.

In an interview with national morning TV program Today, the British chef said Tasmania was on top of his list of Australian places to visit.

"I really want to get to Tassie [and] Adelaide," Oliver said.

Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said there were opportunities to provide the chef with flights, accommodation and assistance setting up food-related activities.

"Industry really got behind [the filming of] MasterChef and if there was potential to get Jamie down here there would be all levels of the [tourism] industry quickly getting behind the initiative to offer up produce and destinations for him to visit," he said.

"It would be great to have him down here and have him become another advocate of Tasmania's famous produce."

Tasmanian Hospitality Association general manager Steve Old said the state could also benefit from Oliver's fresh food and healthy eating initiatives, including the global Ministry of Food campaign.

"I'm sure Jamie would come down here and say how brilliant our produce is and how lucky we are to have it," Mr Old said.

"If Jamie comes down with his Ministry's healthy eating message, it might be enough to encourage the Government to have a look at what we can do to address the obesity issue."

Ministry of Food Australia chief executive Alicia Peardon said Oliver wanted to use the not-for-profit organisation to set up a Ministry in each state, as centres for cooking and nutrition education.

The Ministry of Food has centres in Queensland and Victoria.

"The short answer is we'd love to bring a Ministry of Food to Tasmania," Ms Peardon said.

She said interstate facilities had been set up with funding from state governments and commercial partners.

The Victorian Government chipped in $2.8 million to set up a Ministry of Food and mobile kitchen in Geelong, which will hold more than 10,000 cooking classes and healthy eating demonstrations in the next three years.

A spokesman said the Tasmanian Government had commended Oliver's efforts to promote healthy eating.

"The State Government is always open to new ways of improving the health and wellbeing of the community," he said.

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Cash for jobs -- at a cost

THE State Government will slide further into debt in a bid to create hundreds of jobs and leverage much needed new investment.

Premier Lara Giddings yesterday announced the Tasmanian Jobs Package she hopes will deliver 3300 jobs and create about $375 million in private investment.

The package will cost the State Government $24.5 million over the next four years and $11.7 million this year, as the state slides a further $44 million into deficit.

As revealed in the Mercury yesterday, Ms Giddings has more than doubled grants for Tasmanians building their first home topping up the existing $7000 first-home buyers' grant with a further $8000 for those who opt to build.

The money will be available for Tasmanians constructing new homes beginning on January 1 and continuing for 18 months.

Ms Giddings said the First Home Builders Boost will help to build 1100 first homes and create 1800 new jobs.

The move was supported by the building industry and the State Opposition yesterday.

Opposition Leader Will Hodgman said the grant, that his party has been calling for, was a step in the right direction. "We are quite happy from Opposition to lead the Government when they have run out of ideas," he said.

HIA executive director Stuart Clues said in the past year 3000 jobs and 1000 projects have been lost.

"The State Government's announcement today could be the adrenalin shot in the arm the industry needs to start rebuilding in 2013," he said.

A further 850 jobs are hoped to be created by offering payroll grants for businesses putting on new staff from today up until June 30, 2014 and maintained until June 30, 2015.

The payroll exemption for new jobs would give medium and large businesses the ability to save about $3000 a year on a new worker earning about $50,000 a year.

Acting CEO and the TCCI chief economist Phil Bayley commended the move that has been a proven winner in the past. "The TCCI has also been highlighting the impact of payroll taxes on employment for many years, so today's announcement of relief for new jobs is welcome," he said.

"This is a win for all employers, particularly those that are considering putting on new employees."

Ms Giddings said the relatively modest outlay will make a massive contribution to job creation and private investment. "The package is a key part of my agenda for 2013 which will focus on jobs, people and opportunities," Ms Giddings said yesterday.

"I look forward to seeing more Tasmanians find jobs as a result of the strong action we have taken today."

A further $2.5 million in additional funding for the Tasmanian Government Innovation and Investment Fund will be used to try to leverage $11 million in private investment and create 170 jobs.

The North will get a boost, with $2.8 million investment in projects, including the Seaport boardwalk expansion on the Tamar River in Launceston and the creation of the Hollybank Mountain Bike Park, for the combined creation of 80 new jobs.

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Hampered by high demand

TASMANIAN welfare agencies are having to turn people away as the demand for emergency assistance far outstrips supply.

The Salvation Army yesterday said it feared it would run out of food to distribute to those in need this festive season.

The Salvos said the amount of food donated for its Christmas welfare programs was way down on last year but the number of people asking for a hamper had increased by 20 per cent.

A Hobart woman, who did not want to be named, said she and her adult daughter had sought help from one welfare agency but were told the agency was not taking on any new clients.

Another charity could only give her $20.

"I was gobsmacked. How many people out there are doing it tough if this is the situation?" the woman said.

"Of course I did not want to have to ask for help, but sometimes there is no alternative. $20 does not help much at all."

Salvation Army Captain Craig Wood said the charity was only one third of the way through its hamper listings but had almost run out of food.

"Non-perishable food and groceries are desperately needed to assist over 200 families in southern Tasmania alone. On the North-West Coast, it is a similar story in Burnie," Captain Wood said.

The Salvos have now put out an urgent plea for non-perishable food to make up hampers.

The hampers traditionally contain small boxes of cereal, tinned fruit and vegetables, tea, coffee and sugar, tinned spaghetti, baked beans and soup, biscuits, cordial and long-life juice, pasta and rice and a few Christmas treats like tinned pudding, long-life custards and bon-bons.

Tasmanian Council of Social Service chief executive Tony Reidy said all member organisations were reporting a significant increase in demand.

Mr Reidy said a spike in the number of people who were underemployed was driving the bigger need for charity.

"People who are underemployed can't pay their bills, let along come up with disposable income for treats at this time of the year."

Mr Reidy said a lot of the people asking for help were doing so for the first time.

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Money woes hit dog homes

The Dogs' Homes of Tasmania, operated by the Tasmanian Canine Defence League, have hit struggle street. They have always relied heavily on public support, holding regular dog-food donation drives.

SOARING power bills and an increasing demand for its services have left the Dogs' Homes of Tasmania struggling to survive.

President John Gray today announced an organisational restructure was needed to secure the body's future in tough economic times.

"Expenses are increasing at the same time as the income stream is decreasing," he said in a statement.

"The stark reality is we have to restructure and reduce expenditure to survive.

"Like the dogs in our care, the organisation itself now needs white knights to come to the rescue and enable our proud history of caring for Tasmania's lost and abandoned dogs to carry on."

Dogs' Homes of Tasmania operates animal shelters in Hobart, Burnie and Devonport, providing stray dog facilities for nine local councils.

The organisation's power bills have almost quadrupled in the past two years, with wage pressure, water charges and reduced interest on investments also taking a toll.

Mr Gray and Dogs' Homes CEO Robert Broadway are in talks with staff today about cost-cutting measures statewide.

The State Government has also been contacted in a bid to secure funding assistance to enable the Dogs' Homes to remain solvent and re-group.

Read more in tomorrow's Mercury.

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Wait to question Burnie dad

A fire engine and a police car at the scene of a tragic car fire at Shorewell Park last week.

IT may be weeks before a Burnie man accused of attempting to murder his two young sons can be questioned by police.

The 49-year-old man from Shorewell Park and his two sons, aged five and eight, received burns to 25 per cent of their bodies last Wednesday in a car fire, which police say was deliberately lit.

Police say the condition of both children has stabilised in the past 24 hours but they remain in intensive care in the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.

Treating medical staff are hopeful the children will continue to improve.

Their father remains in a critical condition in intensive care at the Royal Hobart Hospital and is also receiving treatment for significant burns.

"It is expected to be some time, perhaps weeks, before his condition improves enough to be able to speak to police," Tasmania Police said today in a statement.

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Grunwaldt search resumes

The Bicheno Waste Management Centre where police are searching for a bicycle used by Nancy Grunwaldt.

POLICE have returned to a tip site in Bicheno as the investigation into one of Tasmania's most infamous missing persons cases continues.

Launceston detectives are using heavy machinery to excavate a section of the Bicheno Waste Management Centre – the same area that was investigated in February – as part of the search for German backpacker Nancy Grunwaldt.

Miss Grunwaldt was last seen south of Beamauris on March 12, 1993, near the scene of the horrific stabbing murder of Italian tourist Victoria Cafasso in 1995.

Police are searching for the bicycle Miss Grunwaldt was using at the time she was last seen.

The new search is in response to information given to police earlier this year by a local man who believed he saw a bicycle dumped at the site which matched the description of Miss Grunwaldt's bike.

It's not known why the person did not come forward with the information earlier.

"He has shown us the area where he saw the bike and we are excavating that section to a depth of about 5m across an overall area of five square metres," Detective Inspector Scott Flude said in February.

The February search proved fruitless but police are now delving deeper.

"In the interests of ensuring the information is fully investigated, police have determined to return to the tip to excavate to an even deeper level," Det-Insp Flude said today.

"The tip will be closed to the public for the duration of the two-day excavation.

"We have spoken to Miss Grunwaldt's mother to inform her of the development."

Miss Grunwaldt was last seen riding the bicycle about 4km south of Scamander.

She has not been seen since.

A coronial inquest has resulted in no clear answer to the reason for her disappearance, although police suspect foul play.

If you have any information, contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Wild and wonderful

BOB Brown clearly remembers the moment he heard Tasmania's South-West Wilderness had been named a World Heritage Area.

It was December 14, 1982, the same day he and other activists started their blockade of the Gordon-below-Franklin dam site to stop the Hydro-Electricity Commission from flooding the Franklin River.

The then Liberal state government had sent its attorney-general to Paris to lobby against the UNESCO listing.

"When the news came through from Paris, it was met with a great deal of joy," Dr Brown said. "We knew it would be important."

He said the decision had given Tasmania a place of international renown, brought millions of dollars into the economy and had created thousands of jobs.

It is difficult to quantify the monetary value of the site, although in 2008 the Federal Government commissioned a study by Gillespie Economics and BDA which estimated that visitors supported 3886 direct and indirect jobs and contributed a total $123.4 million in household income.

With the dam dispute long over, the heritage area concept has become widely accepted.

It has attracted a range of tourism ventures, particularly around Cradle Mountain and the West Coast town of Strahan, where the Federal Group has invested heavily in accommodation, cruises up the Gordon River and the West Coast Wilderness Railway.

Federal Group spokesman Daniel Hanna said his company considered Strahan "an iconic location".

"We believe that World Heritage listing has encouraged the growth of a sustainable tourism industry in Strahan and that the World Heritage Area has received greater appreciation because of the growth of the local tourism industry," Mr Hanna said.

Tourism Council of Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said the 30th anniversary was an opportunity for the industry to take stock.

"Visitor numbers to national parks and to the West Coast have declined in the past few years," he said.

"We can't take it for granted.

"There is a need for some fresh new product."

West Coast Mayor Darryl Gerrity said it was time for a review of the area's economic and social value for Tasmania and of how it could be used better as an attraction.

"It's like having a grand old heritage house," he said. "It needs maintenance and work."

Dr Brown said he hoped the Tasmanian Forest Agreement would lead to more areas being listed, including the Styx Valley of the Giants, "equivalent to anything in the Redwood National Park in the US", Mt Wellington and the Tarkine area in the far North-West.

philip.heyward@news.com.au

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Seeking warmer waters

TROPICAL fish are venturing as far south as Tasmania in response to ocean warming.

Recent tropical sightings include turtles, a yellow-bellied sea snake, a green moray eel, tiger shark and a mahi-mahi dolphinfish.

The unusual sightings have been documented on the website Redmap, based on reports from divers, anglers and scientists.

Warmer waters are also attracting increasing numbers of big gamefish, such as marlin and yellowtail kingfish, which anglers say is a boon for the sport in Tasmania.

The "out-of-range" fish are being documented by Redmap so scientists can use sightings by recreational anglers and divers to help research into marine species' changing geographical range.

Redmap, the Range Extension Database and Mapping project, will extend from its current state focus when it goes national this week.

Redmap principal investigator Dr Gretta Pecl, from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, said all Australians would be able to report their unusual findings to Redmap after the national launch on Thursday.

Dr Pecl said the migrating tropical fish had been detected in increasing numbers over the past few years, and other popular fishing species from NSW and Victoria were becoming frequent visitors too.

"Some species that only appeared on the mainland, or only appeared in the north of Tasmania, are venturing further south," she said.

She said there were also growing numbers of eastern rock lobsters, including a population of about 35 living off the East Coast.

And snapper, not often sighted in the South until recently, is now so common it has a bag limit.

Dr Pecl said the migration of northern marine species could be for a range of reasons. While climate change was a major driver, other potential causes included changes in ocean currents, habitat availability, pollution and changes in mainland fishing activity.

The migration of new species has been welcomed by recreational anglers, who say the new species have created a boom.

Tasmanian Association for Recreational Fishing (TARFish) chief executive Mark Nikolai said anglers had noticed a rise in the number of popular sportsfish, including yellowtail kingfish, King George whiting, marlin and snapper.

He said these four species were extremely popular and would potentially increase fishing tourism to the state.

"It's all good news for Tasmania, as they expect more of these species to call Tasmania home," Mr Nikolai said.

He said the migrating sportsfish species were of little threat to local marine life, because the baitfish they ate moved down with them.

But Dr Pecl warned the warming oceans did attract some damaging species, such as long-spined sea urchins which were destroying habitats essential for rock lobsters and abalone.

Mr Nikolai said warmer waters had been detected by the CSIRO this year, as a result of the extension of the East Australian Current.

Data shows sea temperatures off the East Coast are warming at three times global average.

Redmap invites people to take photos of uncommon marine species and post them on www.redmap.org.au

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Ideas plan to lift Tassie

WHISKY and food trails, attracting more international students and bringing old industrial sites back to life are some of the ideas contained in three regional economic plans for Tasmania.

The regional plans were released last month, following 38 community consultations held around the state in March and April involving almost 700 people.

They followed the release of a statewide economic development plan in August last year and the establishment soon after of three regional reference groups.

The plans include initiatives already announced and suggestions about new projects to boost each region.

Economic Development Minister David O'Byrne said the economic plans were 10-year strategies focussing on diversifying regional economies and identifying potential growth industries.

He said: "In developing each regional plan, we've talked directly to Tasmanians living, working, studying and investing in each region. We know regional communities are under pressure. This plan is an economic strategy run by communities, for communities."

Mr O'Byrne said key drivers of Tasmania's southern economy included aquaculture, viticulture, agriculture and Antarctic and Southern Ocean science.

The North's key industries were advanced manufacturing, food and agriculture including poppies, dairy, fruit, meat, vegetables and wine, forestry and related products, minerals and mining.

In the North-West, key industries were also advanced manufacturing and food production, as well as floriculture, aquaculture, dairy and mining.

Tourism was identified as an area of opportunity in all three regions. Go to: development. tas.gov.au to view the plans in full.

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On top of the world

UNIVERSITY of Tasmania scholars are feeling on top of the world after their research was rated world standard or better in 16 fields of study.

The Excellence in Research for Australia agency rated everything from earth science and geology to journalism and legal studies.

Scientist Jessica Melbourne-Thomas's areas of expertise fell across several of the top fields part of the reason she loves her job.

"My work is about ecosystem modelling and it's interdisciplinary, covering oceanography and tying in fisheries as well," Dr Melbourne-Thomas said.

"I look at the response of the Southern Ocean to climate change.

"That includes addressing the issue of sustainable fisheries in light of the changes already happening in terms of climate change.

"Hobart ... is an exciting place for lots of interaction in the areas we did well in, including oceanography and marine science."

UTAS Vice-Chancellor Peter Rathjen said the highest possible rating of five was given in nine areas, up from three in 2010.

"The results confirm UTAS as one of Australia's leading research-intensive universities performing at or above international standards," Professor Rathjen said.

They were clinical sciences, analytical chemistry, geology, oceanography, ecology, evolutionary biology, plant biology, forestry sciences, agriculture and land and farm management.

Of the next rung, rating four, journalism and professional writing and fisheries sciences received the top scores in the country.

Dr Melbourne-Thomas, who is from Tasmania and did her PhD at UTAS, is among scientists set to lose their jobs when the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Co-operative Research Centre closes when federal funding ends in 2014.

She hoped she could continue to work in Hobart.

"We're holding our breath," she said.

michelle.paine@news.com.au

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