University of Tasmania has ‘legal concerns’ about government plan to restrict Sandy Bay campus move

Labor has hit out at the state government for not obtaining advice from a number of departments on potential implications of proposed legislation to restrict the UTAS CBD campus relocation.

The University of Tasmania is pushing to relocate its Sandy Bay campus to the Hobart CBD. Picture: Richard Jupe

The University of Tasmania has voiced legal concerns about the “validity” of the state government’s bid to restrict its move into the Hobart CBD as Labor cries foul over a lack of high-level advice obtained by the Liberals to support their proposed legislation.

The government was ordered to table all advice it had received from relevant departments about laws that would require the university to secure approval from both houses of parliament before selling off its campus land at Sandy Bay.

The documents were tabled in the House of Assembly on Thursday and revealed that neither the Department of Treasury and Finance nor the Department of State Growth had provided advice on potential implications of the proposed laws, while the Commonwealth government had also not expressed a view.

University of Tasmania building and signage, Sandy Bay Campus. Picture: Richard Jupe

Among the papers were minutes provided to Education Minister Jo Palmer by Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) secretary Tim Bullard in May and acting secretary Jenny Burgess in June.

Mr Bullard wrote that during initial consultations with UTAS, the university “raised legal concerns regarding the validity of any restrictions to their power to dispose of property”.

In June, Ms Burgess noted there were restrictions in NSW and Victoria on the sale and lease of land owned by a number of universities.

A Q&A sheet prepared by the DECYP showed that while there had been “ongoing informal consultation” with UTAS in relation to the legislation, university brass had rejected the offer of “formal face-to-face consultation” when it was made in early June.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff held a quarterly meeting with UTAS Vice-Chancellor Rufus Black in Hobart on May 1, during which the legislation was discussed.

UTAS Vice-Chancellor Rufus Black. Picture: Alex Treacy

Labor education spokeswoman Sarah Lovell said the government was relying on “very little advice” to support their plan.

“There’s no legal advice about the implications of the bill, there’s no advice from Treasury about potential implications or from State Growth about implications on major developments in Hobart,” she said.

“A bill like this can have enormous implications on the financial position of the university, on potential investment in the CBD of Hobart and other major projects.”

Labor MLC Sarah Lovell. Picture: Linda Higginson

Attorney-General Guy Barnett, however, said the government was doing exactly what it had committed to do during the state election campaign earlier this year.

“We’re delivering on that commitment and it’s high time that [Opposition Leader] Dean Winter and the Labor Party took a cold shower and just calmed down a little bit,” he said.

“He seems to have a fetish for this particular issue.”

Ms Lovell described Mr Barnett’s comment as “incredibly bizarre language for a Minister of the Crown to be using around a piece of legislation that is going to have significant impacts”.