Hobart City Council denies Common Ground rates relief

THE future of a supportive housing organisation has been deliberately jeopardised by the Hobart City Council, says the organisation’s chairman.

Former Tasmanian Premier Paul Lennon

THE future of a supportive housing organisation has been deliberately jeopardised by the Hobart City Council, says the organisation’s chairman.

Aldermen last night voted against its finance committee’s recommendation to provide partial rates relief of $58,000 to Common Ground Tasmania.

Common Ground will not receive any rates relief on its properties in Goulburn and Campbell streets, which house 101 formerly homeless people or those at risk of being homeless.

The council discussion and decision was made in-camera away from the public gallery. But when council returned to an open meeting and the decision was being read, the meeting became heated and Lord Mayor Sue Hickey called for an adjournment when arguing broke out.

Common Ground chairman and former premier Paul Lennon said the organisation’s future was now in doubt because of council’s “silly faction games.”

“How edifying it was for them to adjourn the meeting because of yelling and screaming while we had a number of homeless people whose futures were being debated,” he said.

“We’ll have to go back now and start to consider how we make the numbers add up in the knowledge that this council has deliberately taken the decision to siphon off 20 per cent of our government funding from Commonwealth and state sources.”

Because the State Government owns the two properties, Common Ground does not receive rates relief often provided to charitable organisations which own their own properties. The council instead resolved to get an urgent report to consider having a policy to give similar rate relief asked for by Common Ground in the future.

“The report may enable organisations such a Common Ground to be treated fairly with the organisations that do own their buildings,” Alderman Jeff Briscoe said.

“There are a number of other organisations in this city that don’t get the rate reduction and still do good works.”

An amendment by Alderman Marti Zucco to give Common Ground full rates remission worth $95,000 failed to attract any support.

Mr Lennon called on the Lord Mayor to immediately act to overturn the decision.

“It is not good enough for the Lord Mayor to only show interest in the soft options,” he said.