Tasmanian Premier William Crowther’s statue removal bid ‘within days’

Hobart City Council will move within days to finalise the tearing down of a statute of a former premier accused of mutilating the corpse of an Aboriginal man.

The William Crowther statue at Franklin Square, Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

Hobart City Council is to move within days to finalise the tearing down of a statute of a former premier accused of mutilating the corpse of an Aboriginal man.

A development application is imminent to remove the bronze statue of William Crowther, a former premier who in 1869 was ­accused of removing and stealing the skull of Aboriginal man ­William Lanne.

In a last-ditch attempt to stave off the controversial removal, a petition has been launched to state parliament urging the government to intervene.

The HCC has advised aldermen that it will “in the next few days” introduce the DA, making it both proponent and planning body. Removal of the statue from Hobart’s Franklin Square has ­already been endorsed by most aldermen and some Aboriginal groups.

However, several historians and some aldermen oppose it, pointing to a lack of evidence that Crowther, who denied the claims, committed the mutilation.

In preparation for the DA ­decision, the council has changed the relevant heritage document to downplay the heritage value of the statue.

An amendment gives the green light to its removal, ­arguing “contemporary social, community and political sentiment ­regarding the Crowther monument detracts from the values of Franklin Square”.

Councillor Louise Elliot, backing the petition to parliament, said the statue should remain.

“This is a very slippery slope. The pressure to remove more of our history won’t stop with ­Crowther’s statue,” she said.

“Everyone has things that they don’t like, but that’s part of living in a diverse community where people have different views. We can’t go deleting everything that some people are offended by.”

However, the Tasmanian ­Aboriginal Centre has argued the statue is a constant source of pain for the local Indigenous people.