**Check against delivery
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.
I am very pleased to be here in Tasmania today for a number of reasons.
The first is to celebrate the achievements of the community in making the Derwent Valley Rail project a reality.
The work the community has undertaken over the past few years through Derwent Valley Rail is a remarkable achievement and one which you should be rightly proud of - and I am glad I can help celebrate and recognise your hard work.
The second reason I am pleased to be here is that launching this project we fulfil an election commitment to the people of New Norfolk.
In last year's Budget, the Member for Lyons, Dick Adams, and I announced funding of $50,000 to capitalise on the tourist potential of the Derwent Valley Rail through the refurbishment of an H5 locomotive.
As we said in the Budget announcement, more than 801,000 day trips were taken in the Southern tourism region during 2007 - bringing around $41 million to the region.
We can be confident that this will increase thanks to the Derwent Valley Rail.
This project gives visitors more than something to do - you are giving them a unique experience.
However, we also know that a lot of workers don't think they have the time.
But with 123 million days of accrued annual leave, there is plenty of time to spend visiting the wonderful tourist attractions that this wonderful region offers.
That was the thinking behind the Tourism Australia campaign I recently launched - No Leave No Life.
The aim of the campaign is to unlock the accrued leave of Australian workers - to get them to take a break and enjoy an Australian holiday.
As you've proved here, there's a lot to see and do in Australia.
Unlocking the 123 million days of accrued leave would have a huge impact on the tourism industry, especially regional areas of Tasmania where there are so many short-stay travel packages available.
And with almost 500,000 Australians relying on employment in the tourism industry, there are few better ways to spend the Government's $900 stimulus bonus!
I would like to close by acknowledging the hard work of the community.
This project is a great example of a community recognising - and capitalising on - its own unique history.
I am sure many of the people involved in the restoration of the H5 did it as a labour of love - maybe to rekindle childhood memories of steam travel, or simply to ensure these old-world technologies are not forgotten.
Whatever your reason, your hard work in making this attraction ready for tourists is quite inspiring and I would like to congratulate you on a magnificent achievement.