Background to issue:
A current and ongoing matter of community interest and concern is the fate of University of Tasmania’s (UTAS) Sandy Bay campus, as well as other associated matters.
I have held a keen interest in this issue since concerns began to emerge in late 2021, and in May 2022 I established a parliamentary inquiry in conjunction with Rob Valentine, then-Member for Hobart, examining the provisions of the University of Tasmania Act 1992. We did that in response to a wide range of concerns about UTAS raised with us by constituents. Matters of governance and accountability were central in the evidence presented to this Inquiry.Â
I became the Chair of this Select Committee from May 2024 upon the retirement of former Chair, Rob Valentine.
The Committee’s Final Report was released on the 23 December 2024 – you can download or read it here.
During the state election in March 2024, the Liberals promised to amend the University of Tasmania Act 1992 to require any sale or disposal by UTAS of gifted land to be approved by Parliament. Later in 2024 the State Liberal government tabled its University of Tasmania (Protection of Land) Bill 2024, and subsequently moved amendments to their own Bill during the Lower House debate in November 2024. These amendments would rezone UTAS-owned land above Churchill Avenue to inner residential, and allow UTAS to sell/lease that land for development. This has further alarmed many in the community.
The resumption of Parliament in March 2025 may provide an indication when the government intends to debate its University of Tasmania (Protection of Land) Bill 2024 in the Legislative Council.
My Position
In short – I do not support the rezoning of land above Churchill Ave in the University of Tasmania (Protection of Land) Bill 2024 and, more generally, I do not support the selling off, leasing or disposal of the land of the Sandy Bay campus that was gifted to the University.
It would be irresponsible for elected decision-makers to agree to relinquishing invaluable public land – gifted for a specific community-focused purpose – in the absence of:
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Genuine, and comprehensive community consultation and inclusion;
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Development of a transparent and robust business case with measurable deliverables, benchmarks and timeframes; and
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Independent assessment of social, economic and environmental cost-benefit analysis.
 – none of which has occurred to date regarding the fate of this public asset.
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A range of concerns have been raised with me personally, as well as through the Select Committee process, and they are concerns I share, including but not limited to:
- The divergence of the Liberal Government’s legislation from what was promised by the Liberal candidates at the March 2024 state election.
- The setting aside of the comprehensive rezoning process in our current planning scheme.
- The absence of a full environmental assessment before rezoning and developing native bushland.
- That this was public land gifted to the University for educational purposes.
- The significant biological sciences facilities and equipment in the area in question, which would need to be moved or may be lost.
- No indication that any housing development in the area in question would include social and affordable housing.
- That the City of Hobart has consulted on and is in the process of developing the Mount Nelson and Sandy Bay Neighbourhood Plan.Â
My Consideration of this Issue
This matter of rezoning parts of the Sandy Bay campus via a rushed and inadequate parliamentary process is important not just because of the impact it will have on the local community in Mount Nelson and Sandy Bay (both suburbs in the electorate of Nelson which I represent), but also more broadly as a disturbing further precedent of state government setting aside good governance and appropriate democratic processes.
I also regard the proposal to relocate STEMM facilities from above to below Churchill Ave as questionable, both on the likelihood of securing the $500 million of Federal funding to enable it to occur, and on the practicality of actually relocating such substantial facilities – so far, the plan to do so has been described to me by the University as a ‘mud map’ which is evolving. This is an unacceptable level of detail to present to the Parliament in seeking to justify the disposal of a substantial proportion of the Sandy Bay campus.
As part of continually seeking input on this matter, I have recently had a series of briefings and site tours from both UTAS Management and from concerned academics and community members, to assist in my comprehensive consideration of new developments and proposed moves on the Sandy Bay campus.Â
You can see more of my UTAS-related work below:
Select Committee Inquiry into UTAS Act
Following more than two years of work, the Legislative Council Select Committee Inquiry into the Provisions of the University of Tasmania Act 1992 released its Final Report on the 23rd of December 2024, which as Committee Chair I was proud to table.
The Committee’s Report includes an overarching recommendation for a comprehensive review of the University of Tasmania Act 1992 and prompt implementation of the recommendations of that review. There are 19 further recommendations, the majority of which relate to amending the Act.
Question – University of Tasmania Non-Disclosure Agreements
Questions asked by the Hon Meg Webb MLC on 9 March 2022 and answered by the Government on 28 April...
