Rockliff 'disappointed' over attacks on fellow parliamentarians

In a speech to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia conference in Hobart on Wednesday, Mr Rockliff said the makeup of the new parliament reflected the will of the Tasmanian people, and called on others to set aside "petty politics" and "point-scoring".

"It's disappointing there have been attacks on those who are doing their very best to be effective representatives for their communities and who back a stable and co-operative parliament," Mr Rockliff said.

It was an apparent reference to recent criticism of the Jacqui Lambie Network members by Labor.

Labor Clark MHA Josh Willie on Tuesday said turmoil within the JLN threatened the stability of the parliament.

Mr Rockliff also used his speech to defend his decision to re-enlarge the parliament to 35 members, and to call an early election in February.

"I've copped some flak over both decisions, but both were much-needed moves to help set us up for the future," he said.

He said the decisions had been validated by the behaviour of the new parliament.

"The first four weeks of the new parliamentary sitting have been more productive and constructive than any I can remember."

Addressing a large gathering of economic, political and business leaders at Wrest Point Casino, Mr Rockliff said Tasmania needed to lift its productivity and work participation rates in order to flourish.

He said Tasmania's economy has increased by 25 per cent since 2016, and employment by 20 per cent, but more needed to be done.

"Treasury has forecast that economic growth going forward will moderate, reflecting the expected slowdown in the global economy.

"We know that Tasmania... is facing significant economic headwinds," he said.

The state has the oldest average population in the nation, and this has a "significant" impact on demand for services and Tasmania's productivity, he said.

Under its new population strategy unveiled on Wednesday, the government is aiming to lift Tasmania's population to 650,000 by 2050.

"There is no doubt we must strengthen our focus on increasing the retention and attraction of younger residents," Mr Rockliff said.

"We must do so while still supporting the well-being of all Tasmanians across all ages and stages of life."

Labor's Josh Willie has said the population strategy misses its mark, and that young, working age Tasmanians are leaving the state "in droves".

"The interstate net migration is as bad as it's been since the 1990s, and that should be concerning for all Tasmanians," Mr Willie said.

Mr Rockliff said the Liberals new plans will boost Tasmania's liveability and sustainability, and will also lift training and skills for workers.

He said efforts like the government's $4 million investment in a Burnie training facility would help grow Tasmania's renewable energy skills base.

He said the government also wanted to build family-friendly towns by boosting infrastructure and speed up needed property development to counter the housing crisis.

The plan included a $35 million investment to "stimulate housing supply", and $10 million in grants to incentivise higher-density in-fill developments.

Mr Rockliff also said the government would promote property development via no-interest loans to finance the cost of headwork charges.

These charges, typically charged to the first developer in an area by utilities like TasNetworks and Taswater, have been blamed for holding up property projects and contributing to Tasmania's housing crisis.

Under present rules, developers that first develop an area are penalised by being charged for the headwork costs, providing an incentive for developers to wait until another party pays it.