Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds defends council’s development record after social media stoush

Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds has defended the council against accusations it is “anti-development”, following a heated social media exchange between herself and a fellow councillor.

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

Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds has defended the Hobart City Council against accusations that it is “anti-development”, following a social media stoush between herself and a fellow councillor.

It comes after Deputy Premier and Planning Minister Michael Ferguson labelled the council “one of the most anti-development councils in the country”.

Mr Ferguson said this was a reason the state government would be nominating the Macquarie Point stadium development as a major project, which would see a decision on its future made by an independent expert panel instead of the council.

Ms Reynolds and Alderman Simon Behrakis traded barbs via Twitter on Tuesday after the Lord Mayor described Mr Ferguson’s comments as “unfair”, saying the council had approved 99 per cent of total development applications during its previous term (November 2018-June 2022).

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

Mr Behrakis, who is employed as an adviser to Mr Ferguson in the Treasury portfolio, said this statistic was “not reflective of the extent to which council helps or hinders the growth of our city”.

He noted that the 24 residential and mixed-use developments refused by the council in this period comprised 278 dwellings.

“We need to reset our relationship with the development sector to encourage projects and investment into Hobart that align with our planning scheme and our city’s values, rather than perpetuating combative relationships with those wanting to build in our city,” Mr Behrakis said.

But Ms Reynolds said the apartment projects Mr Behrakis was referring to were rejected because “they didn’t meet our planning laws”. She said there were a record number of dwellings approved in the city over the last four years, with 97.5 per cent of residential applications given the green light.

City of Hobart Councillor Simon Behrakis. Picture: Chris Kidd

Ms Reynolds has accused Mr Behrakis of displaying a “deep conflict of interest”, pointing to the fact that he was the chair of Hobart’s Planning Committee and also worked for Mr Ferguson.

Despite being employed in the Minister’s office, Mr Behrakis stressed that he had “absolutely zero involvement in the planning portfolio” and it was “preposterous” to suggest he shouldn’t comment on “issues relevant to our city”.

Meanwhile, Alderman Marti Zucco, a long-time foe of the Lord Mayor’s, has called for Local Government Minister Nic Street to intervene and sack the council due to “what seems to be an organised attempt to pull down any future opportunities for the City of Hobart and greater Hobart”.

Ms Reynolds said it was “important to respect the democratic outcome of the recent election”.