River clean-up, hydro boost, city housing proposals revealed

Billions of dollars in proposed projects to bring hundreds of jobs have been submitted to a crack team formed to fix Tasmania’s dire economic state post-coronavirus. SEE WHAT THEY ARE >>

• $20M in handouts for businesses may not be enough
• HomeBuilder cash could be years away
• 2800 jobs: $3.5B regional project given the tick

A $2 billion plan to clean up the River Derwent, the fast-tracking of $80 million in Hydro Tasmania spending and a $36 million residential development for central Hobart are among the proposals put to the government’s COVID-19 recovery task force.

The Premier’s Economic and Social Recovery Advisory Council has released 100 submissions made after a call for ideas on how to boost the state’s economic recovery from coronavirus.

Hydro Tasmania chief executive officer Steve Davy said the government-owned power generator was ready to accelerate $85 million worth of dam and reservoir works in the Tarraleah area — and could start construction in the second half of this year.

“The scale and nature of this work is ideally suited to local contractors and suppliers, particularly in the area of civil design and construction and heavy machinery earthworks,” he wrote.

Derwent River with Nyrstar zinc works in the foreground.

“This can provide a significant opportunity for local jobs at a time of uncertainty and economic impact.”

Melbourne-based Marriner Group has proposed a $36 million public housing development for the corner of Warwick and Campbell streets in central Hobart.

With 93 units, the Warwick Cottages project could house up to 129 people.

In his submission, property developer David Marriner asked for half of the value of the proposal to be government funded as well as ongoing funds beyond completion.

Property developer David Marriner outside of Parliament House in Canberra.

“The financing plan would require the state to apply some $18m of Commonwealth funding provided to Tasmania, to the capital cost of the project – around 50 per cent of the development cost,” he wrote.

“Upon completion, we would also seek state government support by way of a capital grant for $11m to ensure the ongoing management and operation of the property is viable.”

Mr Marriner said the project would provide more than 100 jobs during construction and Housing Choices Australia had expressed an interest in acquiring and managing the site.

And a proposal for a 20-year, $2 billion clean-up of the Derwent River was also among the submissions.

Rod Holden from the Natural Impact Group said the plan was seeking institutional investors to help back the clean-up of what he described as “one of the world’s most polluted rivers”.

“We have a well-defined plan which we’ve been working on. In summary, we aim to spend $5m on stage one and have asked the government to match our funding to $2.5m to meet this target. This will lay the foundation for a further $50m in funding in stage two. Stage two will deliver several small pilot projects and a fully costed proposal to remediate the River Derwent. Stage three is the remediation project over 20 plus years.”

None of the proposals were taken up among the 64 recommendations made in PESRAC’s Interim Report.

Follow @DavidJKillick