Eric Abetz against proposal to move Australian Antarctic Division from Kingston to Macquarie Point
Tasmanian Liberal senator Eric Abetz says a proposal to move the Australian Antarctic Division headquarters from Kingston to to the Hobart City lacks “credibility”.
Hobart & South
Don't miss out on the headlines from Hobart & South. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Moving the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) from Kingston to Macquarie Point would “leave both Hobart and Kingborough worse off”, Tasmanian Liberal senator Eric Abetz says.
Senator Abetz’s impassioned comments come as his senior Coalition colleagues mull shifting the AAD headquarters in an effort to consolidate the state capital’s reputation as the international gateway to Antarctica and attract further national and private Antarctic institutions to the city.
A final decision on the matter is yet to be made, after the relocation was first proposed in the Hobart City Deal in 2019 as part of a larger Antarctic and Science Precinct at Macquarie Point, for which potential tenants also include the CSIRO and the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS).
Senator Abetz, who is currently fighting for his political life after being relegated to the precarious third spot on the Tasmanian Liberals’ Senate ticket, said moving the AAD to Macquarie Point would “simply make the morning and evening traffic mayhem even worse”.
“The site at Kingston was fought for by the Tasmanian federal Liberal team some 40 years ago and is a practical example of decentralising an office out of Canberra and out of cities,” he said.
“It works well and has been a boost to small business and the people of Kingborough.
“There is no coherent rationale for the move which will entail a huge burden on taxpayers.”
The Hobart City Deal states that any relocation would involve maintaining, and potentially expanding, the “existing public sector economic and employment footprint” associated with the AAD’s presence at Kingston.
In a Senate estimates hearing last month, Agriculture, Water and Environment Department secretary Andrew Metcalfe appeared to express his support for the relocation proposal, saying he believed it would have “significant benefits for the interests of our department”.
“I am an advocate for Hobart becoming a centre of global capability in relation to Antarctic science and exploration,” he said.
However, Senator Abetz said the prospective relocation had “all the lack of credibility surrounding the University (of Tasmania’s) attempted move (into the Hobart CBD)”.
“Moving the Australian Antarctic Division would be a double whammy leaving both Hobart and Kingborough worse off,” he said. “It should not happen”.
A spokesman for Environment Minister Sussan Ley previously said the Morrison government was committed to “enhancing Hobart’s reputation as both a science precinct and international gateway to East Antarctica”.
Decision looms on potential relocation of Antarctic Division
A decision is still yet to be made on the potential relocation of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) from Kingston to Macquarie Point, with the federal government keeping the findings of a $900,000 report on the agency’s future under wraps.
As part of the Hobart City Deal, signed in February 2019, the federal and state governments agreed to jointly fund a business case to determine the feasibility of a $450m Antarctic and Science Precinct at Macquarie Point, intended to cement Hobart’s place as the international gateway to Antarctica and attract national and private Antarctic institutions to the city.
The document stated that the “existing public sector economic and employment footprint” associated with the AAD’s presence at Kingston would be maintained, and potentially expanded, should any relocation occur.
Three years later, there is still no indication as to whether the AAD, one of the biggest employers in the Kingborough municipality, will be moved from its Channel Hwy site, for which the lease expires in mid-2024.
Franklin Labor MHR Julie Collins said the Coalition needed to “come clean” on what it had planned for the AAD headquarters.
“It is shocking these kinds of decisions are being made behind closed doors when the AAD’s presence in Kingston means so much to the local community and its economy,” Ms Collins said.
Kingborough Mayor Paula Wriedt said the AAD site at Kingston housed “hundreds” of scientists and expeditioners and she appreciated Premier Peter Gutwein’s “commitment … to maintain the social and economic footprint of AAD here in Kingston”.
“Should any decision be made to relocate any AAD staff, however, I will be strongly advocating to the Premier to not only maintain the footprint but actually increase in real terms the number of public service officers located here in Kingston,” she said.
The federal government commissioned professional services firm KPMG to produce the report on the options for the proposed precinct, awarding them a $929,500 contract for the period of December 13, 2019 – March 26, 2020.
The report still hasn’t been made public and the Coalition hasn’t made a decision on the project, despite the fact the report could have been handed to the government as far back as two years ago.
A spokesman for federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley said the Morrison government was “committed to creating jobs in Tasmania and to enhancing Hobart’s reputation as both a science precinct and international gateway to East Antarctica”.
“A final decision on the project is yet to be made, the report is still being considered by government,” he said.
More Coverage
‘Not interested in giving us a fair wage’: Hobart IVF staff walk off job
They support families in their fertility journey, but staff at a Hobart IVF clinic are hoping their employer will support their pay parity with interstate counterparts. Watch their walk-off.
REVEALED: Design for new Glenorchy Pool
When the 60-year-old Glenorchy Pool closed, the community fought hard for a replacement. Months later plans for a new pool with bells and whistles have been unveiled.