Mayor Sue Hickey says Hobart must strike on Smart Cities project while iron is hot

HOBART Lord Mayor Sue Hickey will fly to Canberra to get in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s ear and cement his offer of a “City Deal” for Hobart.

Hobart Lord Mayor Sye Hickey with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on his visit to Hobart last week. Ald Hickey will fly to Canberra and hopes she can get the PM to cement his offer of a “City Deal” for Hobart. Picture: KIM EISZELE

HOBART Lord Mayor Sue Hickey will fly to Canberra today to get in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s ear and cement his offer of a “City Deal” for Hobart.

The Hobart City Council is building its case for a special urban development deal after Mr Turnbull indicated during a visit last week that he wanted to negotiate a package for the Tasmanian capital.

Mr Turnbull told the Mercury he was a strong advocate of the deals, such as the one signed with Launceston for $7.5 million and Townsville for $100 million.

Ald Hickey said she “would go for broke” at the Council of Capital Cities Lord Mayors meeting and hoped Mr Turnbull’s new-found enthusiasm for Hobart was matched by Federal dollars.

“We need to strike while the iron is hot,” Ald Hickey said.

“Mr Turnbull just gets cities. His wife Lucy was Lord Mayor of Sydney.

“He was stunned by how alive Hobart is and we are now well and truly on his radar.”

Ald Hickey will push for a deal which supports the University of Tasmania’s move into the city centre, the redevelopment of Hobart’s aquatic centre and traffic remodelling for the greater Hobart area.

This modelling would keep the northern suburbs rail corridor free for possible future public transport developments such as light rail, she said.

Economist Saul Eslake said the historic deal could support a lot of relatively small projects which, combined, could address the traffic problems in the city.

Professor of Sustainability Peter Newman, of Curtin University in Perth, said private sector funding — through land development along the rail line — would still be needed if the City Deal was to deliver a new rail service from Glenorchy to the CBD.

State Growth Minister Matthew Groom said the state had felt the benefits of Launceston’s City Deal.

“There is no doubt that a city deal for Hobart would deliver real benefits for the community,” Mr Groom said.

Ald Hickey said Hobart needed to put a case to Mr Turnbull which proved it was in need of essential infrastructure to complement the city’s economic growth, now and in the future.

Originally published as Mayor Sue Hickey says Hobart must strike on Smart Cities project while iron is hot