Hobart Twilight Market operators put forward idea for Made of Tasmania festival
Operators of a popular market have called for the Taste of Tasmania to take on a simplified format which would support smaller stallholders, and have suggested a new event name. LATEST >>
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- Hobart City Council moves to drop Taste of Tasmania
- Surprising new location pitched for Taste of Tasmania festival
UPDATE:
Operators of a popular market have called for the Taste of Tasmania to take on a simplified format which would support smaller stallholders.
The team behind Hobart Twilight Market and the Tasmanian Produce Market, headed by operations manager Justin Davies, has issued a collective statement calling for a solution to the uncertain cloud hanging over one of Tasmania’s largest annual events.
“As operators of a successful night market … we feel the Taste of Tasmania must return to a more basic model,” the market team said.
“For a number of years now we have seen crowds grow, frustration with no where to sit, crowded streets full of frustrated drivers trying to find a car space, cost of product and cost for stallholders to present their product to the public market.
“Many of our current stallholders tell us they simply can’t afford to participate because of cost.”
The team suggested a new format for the Taste, which set a new attendance record of 263,000 in the 2018-19 season.
“We would love to see a version of the Taste of Tasmania but one that is spread across the waterfront and city areas using existing operators like ourselves who occupy the Brooke Street Pier precinct,” they said.
They suggested restaurants in the area like Frogmore Creek City, Mures, Fish Frenzy and Red Square should be given permission to spread their footprint for a Taste-style event bringing money into the struggling sector.
“Doing something like this would allow smaller players to participate who at present cannot justify the stall fees charged at the Taste of Tas,” they said.
“It would also provide the opportunity to have musicians spread across the city with basic setups, not great big costly stages.”
The operators suggested rebranding the event to “Made of Tasmania Festival” and working with bus companies for a shuttle service.
EARLIER:
Zucco’s fight for Taste continues
A chaotic and confused council meeting on Monday night has caused frustration from an alderman whose urgent motion to save the Taste of Tasmania was knocked back through what he claimed was improper procedure.
Alderman Marti Zucco was originally told his urgent motion to begin talks with Premier Peter Gutwein or Events Minister Sarah Courtney for a Taste event this summer would not appear in Monday night’s Hobart City Council meeting because he had not given sufficient notice.
But at the meeting, the alderman proposed his motion be added to item 16 under events.
“The lord mayor (Anna Reynolds) accepted the motion at that time and stated ‘we will discuss the matter later’,” Ald Zucco said.
But the motion was then stopped by a procedural motion resulting in a 90 minute debate about whether Ald Zucco’s motion should be on the agenda at all.
Cr Reynolds claimed Ald Zucco was “grandstanding” and being “self-indulgent” by putting forward an issue which was already being dealt with by council, as the HCC confirmed yesterday discussions with the state to secure a waterfront summer event were underway.
But the alderman said Cr Reynolds had “no authority” to talk with the state government about matters like the Taste without approval from fellow councillors.
Ald Jeff Briscoe questioned in the meeting why the lord mayor might hold talks with the state without official council backing.
The meeting was adjourned twice as staff grappled with which motion meant what, and why.
The procedural motion needed absolute majority and had support from six council members, but Cr Reynolds, Cr Burnet, Cr Jax Ewin and Cr Bill Harvey voted against, forcing Ald Zucco’s item off the agenda.
Ald Zucco, Ald Jeff Briscoe and Cr Mike Dutta claimed the procedural motion blocking the Taste item was against proper procedures.
“I believe that was the worst process and the worst debate on the matter that I’ve seen,” Ald Zucco said.
“If the general public is confused, elected members were confused, that just goes to show the process was absolutely appalling.”
Ald Zucco said he was seeking legal advice about the handling of the motion and, if Cr Reynolds didn’t apologise for saying he was “grandstanding” and “self-indulgent”, he would consider bringing the matter before the code of conduct panel.
He planned to bring his Taste of Tasmania motion to the next council meeting.
Cr Reynolds said she ran the meeting following legal advice from staff at council.
She hoped to continue focusing on smoothly divesting the council’s sole ownership and operation of the Taste.
“We are having positive discussions with the state government about delivering a food and wine event over the summer, with Council playing a supportive role,” Cr Reynolds said.
EARLIER:
Lord mayor Anna Reynolds has said Hobart City Council is confident a Taste-style event will be delivered next summer amid discussions with state government, despite one councillor’s urgent motion to address the festival’s future being knocked back at last night’s meeting.
Alderman Marti Zucco tried to have an urgency motion discussed at Monday night’s meeting.
His motion was initially snubbed because it had not been submitted at least seven days before the meeting.
But Ald Zucco, guided by legal advice, went through with his attempt to bring the motion to council on Monday evening.
The council debated at length whether or not to consider his motion, but lord mayor Anna Reynolds, deputy mayor Helen Burnet, councillor Jax Ewin and councillor Bill Harvey voted against the motion which needed unanimous support to pass, with Cr Reynolds labelling Ald Zucco’s move as “grandstanding” and “self-indulgent”.
“The train has left the station,” Cr Reynolds told the Mercury.
“We are already working with the state government and we’re confident there can be a taste-style event in the summer.
“We don’t have to be the sole owners and operators of this event anymore.”
She said council may jointly fund future Taste of Tasmania-style events, or offer equipment and amenities as they planned to do for the Dark Mofo Winter Feast in coming weeks.
At the meeting, Ald Zucco said Cr Reynolds had made “derogatory comments” about the intent behind his motion and told the lord mayor “you don’t even know what teamwork is”.
“This is probably the worst debate I’ve ever been involved in the whole 30 years I’ve been here,” he said.
Earlier in the meeting, the council unanimously passed a motion to offer in-kind support to Dark Mofo for the festival to use venues like Regatta Grounds, Salamanca Lawns, Long Beach and City Hall worth $6749.81 and to waive fees for festival road closures worth $900.
EARLIER:
Monday May 24, 3.26pm
Hobart City Council has circulated a confidential memo about the future of the Taste of Tasmania Festival.
It comes after Alderman Marti Zucco tried to have an urgency motion discussed at Monday night’s meeting. He has tried to get an event up and running this year.
HCC CEO Kelly Grigsby said memos were regularly provided to keep elected members informed of work.
She said it was still possible the popular Taste would return this year.
“An update has been circulated to elected members on the work to progress the implementation of the Council resolution relating to the Taste of Tasmania, including the positive discussion with the state government last Friday about a possible interim event to be held this summer,” Ms Grigsby said.
The CEO said HCC would continue working closely with the state on an event which would “support local industry and activate our waterfront”.
“Work on the longer-term transition plan for the Taste of Tasmania has started, with officers having already held discussions with stakeholders,” she said.
Ms Grigsby said Ald Zucco’s proposed motion urging councillors to reconsider their decision to divest from running the festival would not come to council tonight because it did not satisfy local government meeting procedure regulations.
“A written notice of motion must be submitted at least seven days prior to a meeting,” Ms Grigsby said.
“This is a standard process of which all elected members are aware.
“Therefore, the next available council meeting for a notice of motion submitted last Friday is on June 7.”
‘We can do it’: Bid for Taste to go ahead
Sunday May 23, 1.09pm
CITY of Hobart Alderman Marti Zucco is stepping up his bid to have the Taste of Tasmania festival or similar event resurrected for this coming summer.
Ald Zucco has submitted an urgent notice of motion for Monday night’s Hobart City Council meeting, in which he asks fellow councillors to reconsider a decision on the event’s future.
It comes two weeks after council decided to divest the local authority of the festival, on which it spends $1.6m annually.
The Taste was not held last year due to the uncertainty caused by coronavirus, leaving a big hole in the festive season calendar, along with the cancellation of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race and Falls Festival.
Ald Zucco has suggested the council seek an urgent meeting with Premier Peter Gutwein and Events Minister Sarah Courtney to discuss options for a Taste or similar event in 2021.
And he wants the council to provide in-kind assistance, advice and/or staffing to assist in the delivery of an event.
Ald Zucco told the Mercury he believed there was ample time to work with other stakeholders to ensure a festival could go ahead.
“We can do it. We have enough time to do so if we act swiftly,” he said.
“If we can have things in action by the end of June, we could run an event at Christmas, but it must be in consultation with the Premier or Events Minister.”
Ald Zucco said it was understandable that the council could not continue to be the sole funding provider for the event.
But he believed council’s decision earlier this month was the wrong way to go about it, and that a new funding model should have been explored first.
“We should have at least had the decency to speak to the Premier about it first and foremost,” Ald Zucco said.
After council’s decision, Taste stallholders and an events business called for the event to go ahead.
Jarrod Nation of Pinpoint Group said it was plausible for the Taste to be held in 2021, saying it was a key part of Tasmania’s appeal during summer.
Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds this week said it was good to see enthusiasm from events businesses and the hospitality sector about the potential for an event.
Cr Reynolds said council was having discussions with the state government about ideas for the waterfront this summer.
“Council is also committed to a well-considered transition of the Taste to ensure this great event in the long term,’’ she said.
“We don’t want to rush this important process because we need to ensure the future model is good for stallholders, producers, the public and the future managers of the Taste.”
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