In recent years, Tasmania has seen economic growth and development. However, the benefits have not been evenly distributed. Hobart has received the lion’s share with less going to the regions.

This report focuses on the West & North West region of the state, an area that mostly overlaps with the electorate of Braddon. This electorate has been promised much in previous state elections, but has seen little improvement in many key measures. The West & North West has lost 452 mining jobs and 1,392 manufacturing jobs in the past five years, and there are 444 fewer businesses in the region than there were four years ago. On other indicators, like increasing the amount of agricultural land under cultivation or decreasing the number of insolvencies, the West & North West region also lags behind.