Hobart City Deal: Work to continue on deal initiatives while implementation plan is finalised
Work on the initiatives identified in the $1.43 billion Hobart City Deal will continue while the implementation plan is finalised, the State Growth Minister says.
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WORK will continue on the initiatives identified in the $1.43 billion Hobart City Deal while the implementation plan is finalised, State Growth Minister Michael Ferguson has declared.
When the deal was signed on February 24, a six-month timeline was provided for the release of the implementation plan, which will set out key milestones for projects, time frames and who will be responsible.
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But all three levels of government yesterday agreed to support the four Greater Hobart Mayors in taking the advanced draft through their “respective approval and endorsement processes” during September, with a view to make the agreed plan public shortly after that.
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Mr Ferguson last night said the meeting, which Federal Population, Urban Infrastructure and Cities Minister Alan Tudge attended via Skype, was positive and productive.
“We acknowledge that there’s a lot of interest in seeing the implementation plan but until councils have endorsed it, we just need to ask people to be a little bit more patient,” he said.
“We’ll certainly publicly share the implementation plan, but we won’t wait for that to continue with our respective actions under the deal.”
Mr Ferguson said the most important thing for right now was to deliver on the deal that has been signed, but told the Mercury there would be “plenty of opportunity for it to be added to in future”, given its 10-year lifespan.
The Hobart City Deal includes $82.3 million for border services at Hobart International Airport, $450 million in upgrades to Australia’s Antarctic research station network, including realising Macquarie Point as a world class science, tourism, culture and arts hub, $30 million for affordable housing and $576 million for the replacement of the Bridgewater Bridge.
Kingborough Mayor Dean Winter last night said the council would continue to fight against any move to relocate the Australian Antarctic Division from Kingston to Macquarie Point.
“Again, I’ve told the Australian Government our council will not accept the withdrawal of local jobs through this deal,” Cr Winter said. “Like the State-sponsored move of Vodafone into the Hobart CBD, moving the Australian Antarctic Division would create more traffic congestion and create no economic benefit to Greater Hobart.”
Glenorchy Mayor Kristie Johnston said her council was very keen to inspect how the implementation plan proposed to address key concerns around transport and affordable housing.
Labor roads and infrastructure spokesman David O’Byrne labelled the Hobart City Deal “a stinker for Southern Tasmania”.
“Will Hodgman has a terrible track record of standing up to Liberal Prime Ministers and this is another bad result for Tasmania,” he said.
“Will Hodgman should force his Liberal mates to release the detailed implementation plan today — and then get to work on a real deal that really benefits Tasmanians.”
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