A very revealing interview

Regular readers of this blog will know that the Tasmanian Government has an informal policy to back UTAS’ relocation to the Hobart CBD – while it doesn’t often make strong public statements, behind the scenes it has been fully supportive.

But what of the Labor Opposition? In my very first blog post, I queried Labor’s passivity regarding such a major issue.

Now, in his extraordinary interview – “basketball anyone?” – with Leon Compton on Monday 6 March, VC Black has shone a bright light on the politics of Tasmania in the following exchange:

Leon Compton (54 minutes into the interview)

I look around, Vice Chancellor, and wonder where the political support is for your move into Hobart CBD. We had the Education Minister [Jaensch] on before news at 9 o’clock. I can’t think of a time when the Premier has come out and given you his imprimatur. Who are your supporters in Government for this move?

VC Black

Well Government has remained, government has remained, both parties have, Liberal and Labor, have remained supportive of, have remained supportive of, the move.

Leon Compton 

Supportive or silent?

VC Black

Well, I understand why when it’s a highly contentious community issue governments have to pick the issues where they’re going to kind of weigh in and spend their, you know, and spend their capital and campaign; they’ve got other things that they’re particularly focused on, so they’ve been supportive, they’ve been enabling. We haven’t felt any lack of that at any point, any point, in this process.

Leon Compton

So they support your plans to move into the CBD?

VC Black

They have, they have to date, supported those, supported those plans on both Liberal and Labor sides of politics.

Leon Compton 

But not perhaps overtly?

VC Black

Well, they haven’t been campaigning but equally they appropriately say that it’s the job of the University to figure out what’s best for education and research in Tasmania. They’ve taken a very sensible to say, we’re, it’s the institution which should be thinking about what is gonna create the best education for the most number of Tasmanians that will make the most difference to their lives and they’ve said, you know, we trust you to be thinking about those questions. It’s an appropriate stance for government.

Comments

Politics

So there you have it – both the Liberal and Labor parties are supportive (and enabling) of UTAS’ CBD move, but neither wants to spend political capital being too obviously supportive (too contentious) when they have other priorities to address.

While many people are not overly impressed with the VC, and he rather blurted out the Labor Opposition’s support for the move (will Rebecca White be impressed?), I give him full marks for knowing how Tasmanian politics really works. Through this blog site, it is on the public record that the VC met regularly with the Premier(s?) behind the scenes and it now seems likely he has also been doing this with the Opposition.

I suggest Cassy O’Connor and/or independents (current or prospective) take advantage of the Lib/Lab alliance on the UTAS move and consider options for coming elections.

Substance

I challenge VC Black’s claim that it is appropriate and sensible to leave UTAS’ proposed CBD move entirely to UTAS on two grounds.

(1) Even if the CBD move was entirely about research and education, the Government (and Opposition) should be questioning it as the overwhelming body of submissions and testimony by academics and students to the Legislative Council Select Committee Inquiry into the Provisions of the University of Tasmania Act 1992 (LegCo Inquiry) fully demonstrates. There is a real risk that quality tertiary education in Tasmania will be driven off a cliff – with students and academics seeking opportunities interstate in increasing numbers (or students undertaking on-line degrees with more prestigious universities).

(2) As I have constantly argued, however, UTAS proposed CBD move is about much more than research and education (see most recently my statement to the LegCo Inquiry and DPAC Secretary confirms UTAS totally runs the show, which references other writings).

I believe a decision of such historical, social and economic importance as the proposed move of UTAS’ southern campus to the Hobart CBD, and the development of a new suburb on the Sandy Bay campus site should be the prerogative of the Government and the Parliament, who are answerable to the Tasmanian people; not of the UTAS Council.

  • Even a successful UTAS in the CBD would almost certainly leave the city dead in other respects (the emphasis on online learning and hot-desking will mean students and academics increasingly work from home, meanwhile retail business will lose traffic and customers); a failed UTAS would hollow the city out completely.

  • The loss of UTAS’ campus on the glorious Sandy Bay site forever would be felt by current and future generations.

  • Gratuitous construction of buildings in the CBD and destruction of heritage buildings and environmentally rich sites at Sandy Bay would impose needless economic, environmental and other social costs.

  • Traffic congestion in the CBD and Sandy Bay would be horrific, certainly during the 10-year destruction/construction phase, but most likely on an ongoing basis.

  • All the economic consequences and financial risks of the proposed move would be borne by the public – not by UTAS; and not by its consultants.

And yet what analysis has the Government done of its own on the proposed move. Exactly none. It hasn’t even looked at the traffic issues, leaving this to a self-serving UTAS, as it accepts unquestioningly everything UTAS says.

It now looks like the Labor Opposition are as bad as the Government. Labor will hide behind the fact of having been in Opposition when all this governmental neglect comes home to roost. But where was the Opposition during the period 2015 – 2022. How many questions did it ask about UTAS’ proposed move? The answer is again none (based on reading of Hansard). VC Black has revealed why.

The truth is that both the Government and Opposition have abrogated their responsibilities over the UTAS move.

When it comes to the proposed UTAS move, as VC Black has told us, UTAS is both Government and Opposition.

Labor – supportive, and enabling, of UTAS CBD move?

By : Robert Hogan