What We Heard summarises the key themes from the Tasmanian Labor Longford & Northern Midlands Forum, held on 19 October 2026 at the Longford Town Hall. The forum brought together representatives from agriculture, food production and processing, tourism and hospitality, small business, health, local government and the broader Northern Midlands community at a time of low business confidence and rising costs across the region.
Participants discussed the challenges facing Longford and the Northern Midlands and the biggest opportunities for the region. This report captures what they told us, from payroll tax, freight and workers compensation costs to red tape, stretched health services and a shortage of housing and workers. It also sets out the opportunities they see in value-adding local produce, Tasmanian provenance, agritourism and timber manufacturing. It is not a transcript and does not attribute individual comments.
