LOWER business taxes targeted at regional areas would help to wean Portland off government assistance, crossbench senator David Leyonhjelm has claimed.
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The Liberal Democratic Party’s sole parliamentary representative was raised in Heywood and returned to the Western District last week for the first time in four decades.
Senator Leyonhjelm said he was in favour of special economic zones — such as one touted for northern Australia — but said a sub-regional designation would be harder to implement.
“I’ve long been a strong believer in special economic zones,” he said. “Northern Australia has been one area that some business figures have advocated for, but I think Tasmania would be a prime candidate for such a zone.
“You need to give business incentive to relocate and this has been a proven formula.
“I’m not sure how a regional special economic zone would go, you’d have to determine the boundaries from the outset and rigorously apply it.
“Portland would benefit from lower business taxes, there is no doubt. The question is about the best way to apply those reforms to the area and I think it’s something that should be further examined.”
Senator Leyonhjelm visited Portland last week as part of a senate select committee hearing, the first time he had ventured to the region since the mid-1970s. His parents used to operate a dairy farm near Heywood.
“The area has changed significantly,” Senator Leyonjhelm said.
“I remember Portland prior to the wind farms and the smelter. It’s grown in some respects and lost ground in others.”
Senator Leyonhjelm studied to be a veterinarian alongside former premier Denis Napthine in the early 1970s at Melbourne University. Both were originally from the Western District — Dr Napthine from Winchelsea — and the duo had a number of pub debates over the Vietnam War during their undergraduate years.
“We knew each other pretty well,” Senator Leyonhjelm said.
“Back in those days, I was a left-winger and Denis was a right-winger and we’d have some pretty strong debates over the Vietnam War. Conscription was a big issue back then.
“We were never involved in formal debates at uni or anything like that. Just a few heated debates at the pub after uni.
“Even though we were on opposite sides of the fence, we’d have friendly chats but we’d rarely agree.”
