Coalition pledges $38m for Hobart airport

The coalition will pledge $38 million to upgrade Hobart airport to make the city the gateway to the Antarctic.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is in Tasmania on Thursday to announce the funding, that will build an extra 500m of runway will for the airport, which will increase its capacity for international flights and larger, heavily laden aircraft to Antarctica.

The airport funding - which could create 200 jobs - is part of the coalition's jobs and growth plan for Tasmania.

"It will make the runway long enough to attract more Antarctic supply flights by countries such as the US. This project is good for growth and good for jobs," Mr Abbott told the Hobart Mercury.

"It will also reinforce Hobart's position as the global hub for Antarctic research and expeditions, and it opens up new international tourism and trade linkages."

Hobart airport has not had an international carrier using the facility since the late 1990s, the Mercury reports.

Mr Abbott will start the day in Launceston to announce a coalition government would fund a Tasmanian Major Project Approval Agency in the city.

It's part of the coalition's plan to cut red tape and encourage new investment in the state.

"A one-stop shop for businesses looking to invest in Tasmania is about making it easier for them to employ local workers," Mr Abbott told the Examiner newspaper.

"It will not change regulatory standards but is planned as a new, single entry point for new projects that will streamline processes and reduce paperwork."

The agency will be a one-stop shop for new projects that require some form of federal regulatory approval for compliance reporting such as the Australian Taxation Office, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

The agency is part of the Liberals Tasmanian Growth Plan to be announced by Mr Abbott and shadow treasurer Joe Hockey on Thursday.