Australia's only state of islands

Strategic location

Tasmania is an island that lies off the south-east corner of the Australian mainland, 42 degrees latitude south of the equator.

Size

Tasmania is 68 000 square kilometres - 0.9 per cent of Australia’s total land mass.

Distances from north to south are 296 kilometres (184 miles) and 315 kilometres (196 miles) from east to west.

It is similar in size to the Republic of Ireland, West Virginia and Sri Lanka, or around twice the size of Switzerland, Belgium or Taiwan.

Climate

Mild and temperate maritime climate with four distinct seasons.

Summer: December to February - average temperature of 17 to 23°C (62-73°F)

Autumn: March to May – average temperature of 10 to 20°C (50-68°F)

Winter: June to August - average temperature of 3 to 11°C (37 - 51°F)

Spring: September to November – average temperature of 6 to 16°C (43-61°F)

Tasmania's resilient economy

Tasmania has a dynamic and resilient economy with a government focus to grow the economy through sensible development. We compare favourably against other Australian states and offer some of the lowest priced commercial and residential real estate in the country.

• Consumer Price Index – see ABS CPI major city comparison
• see a national regional profile on Tasmania from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 
• economy 2005 - 09
• population and people 2005 - 09
• industry 2005 - 09
• environment and energy 2005 - 09

Export focus

See Tasmania’s major international exports from 2008 to 2011. 

Favourable business climate

Tasmania has a strong enterprise culture. We offer:

• low labour costs
• a stable workforce
• excellent industrial relations record for minimal days lost to industrial disputes
• low land and accommodation costs
• low licensing costs.

To review a comparison between Tasmania and other Australian states, see the Tasmanian Department of Treasury and Finance’s competition index 2007-08.

Modern infrastructure

Highly functional infrastructure is a key driver to Tasmania’s economic competitiveness. A program of continual investment in world-class infrastructure to support industry growth is a key government focus.
 
Tasmania offers infrastructure that will support your growth and guarantee the smooth operation of your business. We provide:

• highly developed transport systems
• world leading telecommunications through the National Broadband Network with the roll out of optic fibre to over 90 per cent of premises in Tasmania
• secure energy supply with our Basslink connection to the Australian Energy Market
• large-scale irrigation projects and urban water and sewerage investments
• designated industrial areas located across Tasmania.

The Bell Bay industrial zone is Tasmania’s largest heavy-industrial area spanning approximately 25 square kilometres, approximately 10 square miles or 2 500 hectares.

The Regional Economic Development and Investment (REDI) Map highlights infrastructure and development projects around Tasmania valued over $2 million that are either committed to or under construction.  

Education

Tasmania’s government-run education system is free to all children. We have 215 government schools and colleges for over 62 000 students in:

• kindergarten to year six
  
• secondary (or high) schools - years seven to 10
  
• senior secondary colleges - years 11 and 12
  
• special schools for students with disabilities.

We also have many independent private and Catholic schools that are very affordable compared to similar schools across Australia. 

The University of Tasmania is a public Australian university. Founded on 1 January 1890, it was the fourth university to be established in Australia and has been consistently ranked in the top 10 universities in Australia for research.  

The University has a student population of 22 000 including 3 000 international students and 1 000 PhD students. It has campuses in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie.

Skills development is a government priority, with a focus on improving participation, productivity and innovation. 

The government’s strategy is to create the best trained workforce with the highest levels of vocational qualifications in Australia.  Our vocational education and training system offers flexibility and ongoing communication between industry and our training organisations - the Tasmanian Polytechnic and the Skills Institute.

Nationally competitive

Tasmania is the most affordable place to do business in Australia. We offer:

• the lowest aggregate land and accommodation costs in Australia
• the lowest business licensing costs in Australia
• the lowest tax burden in Australia on most measures