Deputy Premier Michael Ferguson lashes Hobart City Council as anti-devlopment

A stoush has erupted between the Deputy Premier and Lord Mayor over the Macquarie Point urban renewal project. WHAT WAS SAID

Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds has rejected an “inaccurate” suggestion by Deputy Premier Michael Ferguson that the Hobart City Council is “one of the most anti-development councils in the country”.

Mr Ferguson made the comments after Ms Reynolds criticised the government’s decision to fast track the Macquarie Point urban renewal project which includes the AFL stadium.

Ms Reynolds said since 2018, 98.5 per cent of all development applications before council had been approved.

Michael Ferguson deputy premier. Question time in the Tasmanian parliament. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“I would encourage Mr Ferguson not to throw around inaccurate and unfair insults,” she said.

Ms Reynolds is upset that the Macquarie Point development will be nominated as a Major Project under controversial legislation passed in 2020 and take any decision on its future away from the Hobart City Council and instead into the hands of an expert panel.

“It’s disappointing. My sense is that people of Hobart won’t like having an assessment process for public land being run by ‘faceless bureaucrats’,” she said.

“Council demonstrated that it ran a professional, inclusive and arms-length assessment with the recent (Mt Wellington) cable car application.

“When tested council’s assessment was endorsed as correct by the Planning Tribunal.”

Mr Ferguson said he was not surprised at Ms Reynold’s reaction given she was “anti-development”.

“Have a look at the Hobart City Council – it’s one of the most anti-development councils in the country,” he said.

“I don’t think any voter of Tasmania would be surprised to see us taking this path.”

Mr Ferguson said as a Major Project the assessment would be “robust” with an emphasis on community consultation.

Anna Reynolds Lord Mayor of Hobart. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“It’s actually independently assessed and takes the politics out of it,” he said.

“Community consultation is an important part of it.”

Labor leader Rebecca White said Tasmanians would be “up in arms” that the government was trying to avoid scrutiny on the development.

“The only reason the government are looking at putting this through the Major Projects pathway is because they are afraid that it won’t succeed under another pathway because they know there is such strong opposition to building a stadium at Macquarie Point,” she said.

“This is a project that was never taken to an election.

“There’s never been any public consultation about whether people agree that building a stadium at Macquarie Point is a good idea.”

Ms White said using Major Project laws for the Bridgewater Bridge was appropriate because it crossed council boundaries and had cross party support.

Labor used project of significance laws to fast track the pulp mill and marina at Ralphs Bay and both projects failed.

Ms Reynolds said the Sullivan’s Cove Planning Scheme must be respected “for this very important and historic part of Hobart”.

“I’d expect that these existing rules must be at the centre of any assessment,” she said.