Hobart City Council on board push for new Hobart high school

The campaign for a new high school in Hobart has the support of the Hobart City Council, which says it could ease traffic congestion.

• New Hobart high school push continues
• Fight for co-ed Hobart high school

THE Hobart City Council has lent its support to a campaign for a new high school in the city, which it says could ease traffic woes.

A government-run survey on attitudes to Hobart’s current single-sex-only high school offering has closed and the results are being analysed by the education department.

The City Council’s submission to the engagement process says it “supports a diversity of high school education options, including co-ed options”.

Council general manager Nick Heath said students accessing co-ed high schools at Taroona and Cosgrove in Glenorchy contributed to cross-town traffic and faced challenges with overcrowding on buses.

Nick Heath. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

“The provision of a new high school in Hobart would promote both the self-containment of the city and the investment in and utilisation of public transport linkages into the city,” Mr Heath wrote in the council’s submission.

“I note that Hobart is currently the only capital city in Australia without a co-ed high school. This sits in contrast to multiple co-ed offerings within the other Greater Hobart local government areas.”

The recently-formed group Hobart High Community is lobbying for a stand-alone co-ed high school, either replacing the all-girls model at Ogilvie or all-boys model at New Town, or on a separate site altogether.

Philippa Duncan from the group said the council’s support was welcome.

“Hobart children should have the choice of a local co-ed public high school in their local government area,” Ms Duncan said.

“Schools are the heart of their communities and children do better when they can attend school in their area and retain friendships and community links.”

Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia executive officer Loren Bridge said Hobart families were lucky to have the choice of government-funded single-sex high schools, while other states only had independent and Catholic options.

She argued girls’ schools provided “a unique environment where girls don’t have to compete with boys for leadership positions or their teachers’ attention”.

“Nor do they have to conform to gender stereotypes, or deal with unwanted sexual attention,” she said.

While the survey has closed, the education department is still seeking feedback from community members via www.education.tas.gov.au/community-and-engagement/get-involved