Ratepayers happy to pay for events such as Mofo and Taste

MOST Hobart ratepayers support public funding of key festivals such as Dark Mofo and Taste of Tasmania.

People are happy for ratepayers to help fund events such as the Taste of Tasmania, a survey shows.

MOST Hobart ratepayers support public funding of key festivals such as Dark Mofo and Taste of Tasmania.

But they also say ratepayers in neighbouring municipalities should put their hands in their pockets.

An exclusive ReachTEL poll of more than 600 greater Hobart residents, commissioned by the Property Council of Australia, found 74 per cent of respondents supported providing sponsorship or financial support for Dark Mofo, and 77 per cent for Taste of Tasmania.

But only 41 per cent of people supported Hobart City Council ratepayer funding for AFL games at Blundstone Arena, with 30 per cent saying they were”strongly opposed” to the notion.

However, the majority of respondents said ratepayers in other councils should contribute to the festivals (63 per cent for Dark Mofo, 61 per cent for Taste).

Almost half of those surveyed said other ratepayers should contribute to AFL games.

Property Council Tasman­ian executive director Brian Wightman said the results highlighted the inequity of the burden faced by ratepayers in the greater Hobart region.

Ratepayers in Hobart were asked to support events that benefited the whole region, ­including events in other ­municipalities with little support from other councils, he said.

“The whole region and even the state reap the benefits of events such as the AFL, Dark Mofo and The Taste so it is ­inequitable that they are ­funded by the Hobart City Council ratepayers alone,” Mr Wightman said.

“There are no restrictions put on who is allowed to attend these events, they are not ­exclusively for Hobart ratepayers, so why should they be landed with the financial burden.”

Hobart City Council has contributed $250,000 cash and $50,000 in kind support for this year’s Dark Mofo.

This year’s Taste of Tasmania is expected to cost ratepayers about $580,000, including $175,000 for upgrading equipment and furniture.

Hobart provided seed ­funding of $1.35 million over five years to help North Melbourne to play football at Blundstone Arena. The council will stop sponsoring the matches from next season.

Hobart Lord Mayor Sue Hickey said the council supported events that aligned with its strategic objectives, generated economic benefits and supported city activation.

“It is gratifying to learn that the public are supportive of the decisions council has taken in relation to Dark Mofo and the Taste of Tasmania,” she said.

“The Taste of Tasmania and Dark Mofo are tremendously successful festivals in their own right.

“The Taste is synonymous with summer in Hobart and Dark Mofo delivers a winter experience that sets us apart from any other city in ­Australia.”

A report into the socio-economic value of AFL games and related activities in greater Hobart for 2015 estimated the benefit to be $43.7 million.

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