Question – University of Tasmania City Deal & Law School
Questions asked by the Hon Meg Webb MLC on 14 April 2022 and answered by the Minister for Education, Children and Youth on 4 May 2022.
QUESTION 1. Can the government clarify any specific elements of the Hobart City Deal that relate to the University of Tasmania, including the amount of any funding that is attached from the Federal and State Governments?
ANSWER 1: The Australian and Tasmanian Governments and the four Greater Hobart councils released the original Hobart City Deal document in February 2019. The document points to broad support for the University of Tasmania to prepare a project plan for an enhanced science, technology, engineering and mathematics presence in the Hobart community, taking into consideration the housing and transport needs of both students and staff. Given the broad focus of the Hobart City Deal on city shaping actions like transport, housing and precinct planning it was considered reasonable to ensure that visibility was maintained on this work given the potential significance of the University footprint.
In October 2019, City Deal partners released the first Hobart City Deal Implementation Plan.
The transformation and relocation of the southern campus is being self-funded by the University. However, to maintain visibility, the governance supporting the Hobart City Deal includes a commitment to a reference group to help coordinate and align the University plans and the Hobart City Council’s development of its Central Hobart Precincts Plan.
The City Deal partners continue to provide support through regular liaison with the University at officer level to align and coordinate efforts to assist the integrated delivery of City Deal actions.
QUESTION 2: Is the Government aware of concerns raised regarding the workplace culture and treatment of staff at the University of Tasmania?
(a) Have these concerns been raised with the Government, either with the Minister for Education or by constituents to any Government members of Parliament?
(b)If so, what actions has the Government taken in response?
ANSWER 2: Employment matters relate to the operations of the University of Tasmania and are ultimately the responsibility of the University Council.
QUESTION 3: Is the Government aware of concerns regarding the departure of staff from the University of Tasmania in recent years, including the 16 of 23 staff who departed the Law School in late 2021?
(a) Have these concerns been raised with the Government?
(b) If so, what actions has the Government taken in response?
ANSWER 3: Employment matters relate to the operations of the University of Tasmania and are ultimately the responsibility of the University Council.
QUESTION 4: Noting the recent concerns reported on in the media raised by members of the Tasmanian legal fraternity and law students at the University of Tasmania in relation to the content and delivery format of law courses:
(a) Has the government received any representations from the legal fraternity, students or other groups on these reported concerns
(b) If so, what actions has the Government taken in response?
(c) Has the government sought any information or clarification from the University of Tasmania on these reported concerns?
ANSWER 4: The Government is aware of concerns regarding the Bachelor of Laws course delivered by the UTAS Law School.
Higher education course content, quality and delivery are the responsibility of the University Council and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), which has regulatory oversight.
Acknowledging this, as one of the largest employers of law graduates in the State, the Department of Justice and the Attorney-General Hon Elise Archer MP have a very strong interest in the training and development of law graduates. The Department of Justice will continue to engage with UTAS, the Dean of the Law School, and student representatives, as well as other key stakeholders, including the Law Society, the Chief Justice and the Chief Magistrate.
See more of Meg’s Questions to Parliament.
