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| Business Council of Tasmania | |
|---|---|
| Name | Business Council of Tasmania |
| Founded | 1960s |
| Headquarters | Hobart, Tasmania |
| Region served | Tasmania |
Business Council of Tasmania is a Tasmanian peak body representing major private sector firms and corporate leaders across Hobart, Launceston, Devonport, Burnie, King Island and regional Tasmania constituencies. It engages with senior figures from Commonwealth of Australia institutions, Tasmanian Parliament members, corporate boards such as BHP, Rio Tinto, Commonwealth Bank, and service providers including PwC, KPMG, Deloitte, and EY on strategic matters. The council liaises with policy forums including Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Business Council of Australia, Confederation of British Industry, and international agencies like OECD and APEC.
The council traces roots to postwar commercial associations that interacted with entities such as Australian Industry Group, Tasmanian Trades and Labor Council, Federation of Australian Commercial and Industrial Organisations, and local bodies in Hobart Town Hall precincts. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s it coordinated with infrastructure projects tied to Hydro Tasmania, Basslink, Bell Bay Aluminium, and mining developments involving Iluka Resources and MMG Limited. In the 1990s the council engaged with reforms led by Paul Keating-era institutions and intersected with regulatory changes influenced by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Productivity Commission. During the 2000s and 2010s its work overlapped with climate and energy debates influenced by actors such as Tony Abbott, Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, and organisations like Clean Energy Finance Corporation and Australian Renewable Energy Agency. Recent decades saw collaborations with cultural and tourism partners including Museum of Old and New Art, Federation Square-associated groups, and events like Dark Mofo and Taste of Tasmania.
The council advances objectives aligned with corporate stakeholders such as Fortescue Metals Group, ANZ Banking Group, Westpac, and professional networks like Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and Law Council of Australia. Its mission emphasizes competitiveness, interaction with planning authorities including Surface Transport Authority-style bodies, and workforce development linking to University of Tasmania, TAFE Tasmania, Australian National University alumni networks, and vocational pathways supported by Australian Apprenticeships Centre. It seeks to mediate between investors like Macquarie Group and public institutions such as Treasury (Australia) and state departments influenced by ministers formerly associated with portfolios overseen by figures like Brian Lowe or Will Hodgman.
Governance mirrors corporate councils such as Business Council of Australia and boards of directors in firms like CSR Limited and Goodman Group. The council is administered from offices in Hobart with committees modeled after advisory groups in Australian Institute of Company Directors, and audit practices influenced by standards from Australian Securities and Investments Commission and Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. Leadership includes chairpersons and chief executives who have previously held roles in organisations like Tasmanian Development Board, Destination Tasmania, Tourism Australia, and consultancies linked to McKinsey & Company and Boston Consulting Group. Committee membership often comprises executives from Hydro Tasmania, TasNetworks, Blundstone, Grange Resources, and legal advisers connected to King & Wood Mallesons.
Programs include economic roundtables modeled on Reserve Bank of Australia briefings, skills summits linked to National Skills Commission agendas, and export missions coordinating with Export Finance Australia and bilateral delegations to partners in China, Japan, South Korea, United States, and New Zealand. It runs events similar to Australian Financial Review forums and partners with media outlets such as The Mercury (Hobart), The Examiner (Tasmania), ABC Hobart, and national broadcasters like ABC News. Initiatives include infrastructure advocacy for ports such as Bell Bay, airport improvements at Hobart Airport, and supply-chain projects with logistics firms like Toll Group and Qantas Freight.
Members span resource companies including Lynas Rare Earths, Vedanta Resources affiliates, agricultural enterprises like Tasmanian Salmon Producers and processors akin to Simplot, financial institutions including NAB and Macquarie Group, and professional services firms such as Herbert Smith Freehills. Stakeholders encompass civic institutions such as Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Local Government Association of Tasmania, peak cultural bodies like Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and education partners University of Tasmania faculties. International stakeholders have included delegations from Australian Embassy in Tokyo and trade missions organized with Austrade.
Policy work operates through submissions to inquiries held by bodies like the Australian Senate committees, the Tasmanian Legislative Council select committees, and federal review panels convened by the Productivity Commission and Infrastructure Australia. The council has engaged on taxation and revenue dialogues referencing precedents set by Henry Tax Review-related debates, energy policy exchanges involving Australian Energy Market Operator, and environmental stewardship discussions referencing Convention on Biological Diversity-related frameworks when interacting with conservation NGOs and regulators like Parks and Wildlife Service (Tasmania). It has coordinated with unions represented in forums alongside Australian Council of Trade Unions on workforce transition programs.
Notable initiatives include advocacy for logistics upgrades comparable to the Port of Melbourne modernisation, workforce development schemes echoing Skills for Prosperity-type programs, and regional investment promotion likened to strategies by Invest NSW and Invest Victoria. Projects supported by the council have influenced planning for renewable energy projects similar to Hydro Tasmania expansions, tourism campaigns comparable to Tourism Australia’s national campaigns, and research partnerships with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and University of Tasmania on aquaculture and forestry innovation. Its impact is seen in dialogues with federal agencies such as Department of Industry, Science and Resources (Australia) and state economic plans shepherded by premiers comparable to Will Hodgman and Peter Gutwein administrations.
Category:Organisations based in Tasmania