Opinion

Collins St Bike Lane Trial Needs to End

1st June 2026 – As the Collins Street trial approaches the halfway point of its two-year duration, Hobart City Council should begin planning to remove the separated bike lanes and restore this important CBD corridor.

The Council’s monitoring reports have not yet demonstrated the increase in cycling numbers that many supporters of the project anticipated.
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We need to build a vibrant city centre

28th May 2026 – For years, there has been discussion about how to make Hobart’s CBD more vibrant, safer after hours and more supportive of local businesses. One of the most effective ways to achieve that is simple: more people actually living in the city.
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Retailers Under Pressure in Hobart

15th May 2026 – Recent headlines about store closures across Hobart have sparked understandable concern about the future of the CBD. When major retailers like H&M, Glue and Scotch & Soda leave the city, it is not just those individual businesses affected. While the situation is serious, I do not believe Hobart’s CBD is “dead” or beyond saving.
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More Medium Density Housing for Hobart

9th May 2026 – The Tasmanian Government is proposing major changes to the planning system aimed at making it easier to build medium density housing across the state. The reforms include new apartment rules, changes to residential zones, reduced parking requirements in some areas, and higher density housing near transport corridors and activity centres.
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TasWater Price Hike Hits Homes & Business

2nd May 2026 – TasWater’s proposed 11.5 percent annual increases have been cut back to 5.7 per cent a year for the next four years. That’s a significant reduction but it will still hit households and small businesses.
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E-Scooter Program finally Scrapped

21st April 2026 – Hobart’s e-scooter hire program is finally going, and it should have happened years ago. From the beginning, ideology led and the practical concerns were sidelined. Early on, the warnings were clear with safety risks, constant injuries, and conflicts with pedestrians raised repeatedly.
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UTAS Sandy Bay Land Sale

16th April 2026 – The UTAS Sandy Bay land sale has now cleared Parliament, but there are still more questions than answers. We’re told this is about funding a new STEM precinct and delivering housing. That sounds fine on the surface. But the more you look at it, the less clear it becomes whether it will actually deliver either.
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MacPoint Precinct Plan is Now Public

15th April 2026 – Macquarie Point precinct master plan is now public after much anticipation, and it shows this is far more than a stadium proposal. What’s encouraging is the scale of the vision. This is a genuine waterfront precinct with housing, public spaces, hospitality and year-round activity.
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Be Practical with City Hall Future

4th April 2026 – It is understandable that people want to protect YouthARC (Mercury Letters, April 2). Facilities that support young people and provide safe places to connect are important and should remain part of Hobart’s community infrastructure.
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Time to bring City Hall back to life

26th March 2026 – At this Monday’s Hobart City Council meeting, councillors will consider how to better activate City Hall, a conversation that is both necessary and long overdue. Despite its central location, City Hall remains underutilised and increasingly outdated as a functional events venue.
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Hobart City Council numbers to be reduced

21st March 2026 – The Tasmanian Government’s proposal to reduce councillor numbers is sensible and practical, with the City of Hobart moving from 12 elected members to nine. Slightly smaller councils should lead to clearer decision-making, stronger accountability and help attract candidates with the skills and experience needed.
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Collins Street is a working street, not a planning experiment

14th March 2026 – The latest stage of the Collins Street bike lane works again raises an important question: who exactly is this street being designed for?

Buses servicing CBD hotels will be forced to unload guests with luggage while stopped in the middle of the road.
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Macquarie Point not ready for AFL until 2031

11th March 2026 – The confirmation that Macquarie Point Stadium is unlikely to host AFL games until 2031 reflects the reality of delivering infrastructure projects of this scale and complexity.

The priority should not be whether it opens earlier, but that it is completed properly and ready to perform as intended. Rushing a project of this size may not end well.
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Hanging Garden Precinct $300M Boost for Hobart

27th February 2026 – A $300 million private investment in the heart of the city sends a strong signal that business has real confidence in Tasmania’s capital and its future. This is exactly the kind of investment Hobart needs.

The Hanging Garden redevelopment shows investors are prepared to back Hobart for the long term and help drive the next phase of growth. Projects like this do more than transform buildings — they create jobs, attract visitors and contribute to a more vibrant and active city centre.
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Motion to Ban Buses from Collins Street

19th February 2026 – An upcoming council motion proposes relocating private buses from Collins Street. Buses shouldn’t be seen as a nuisance, they are essential. Services like SkyBus connect visitors directly to the CBD, keeping the city accessible for everyone.

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Council Plans Safety Officers for Hobart

8th February 2026 – Hobart may soon have a small team of uniformed officers patrolling the CBD under the council-led Safer Hobart Program. The plan would see three officers working business hours, Monday to Friday, engaging with local businesses, monitoring trouble spots, and connecting rough sleepers and at-risk individuals with support services.
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Should Glenorchy merge with Hobart?

30th January 2026 – Glenorchy councillors unanimously voted down Hobart’s merger proposal this week, sending a clear message that the city is not ready to be folded into a much larger neighbour.
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Hobart must focus on what matters

24th January 2026 – Local Government Minister Kerry Vincent’s warning to Hobart City Council should not be dismissed as political noise. It is a clear signal that confidence in the council’s direction and priorities is wearing thin, not just within government, but among ratepayers, businesses and investors who expect better from those elected to represent them.
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Ongoing Problems for Hobart CBD Bike Lanes

18th January 2026 – Local Government Minister Kerry Vincent’s warning to Hobart City Council should not be dismissed as political noise. It is a clear signal that confidence in the council’s direction and priorities is wearing thin, not just within government, but among ratepayers, businesses and investors who expect better from those elected to represent them.
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Our piecemeal water repairs are draining

15th January 2026 – Last year, Hobart was given a blunt reminder of what happens when underground infrastructure is allowed to age out of sight and out of mind. World War II – era water mains beneath Liverpool and Murray Streets burst, flooding nearby businesses, damaging roads and forcing emergency works in the heart of the CBD.
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Record-breaking Taste of Summer proves culture is a powerful engine for Hobart

10th January 2026 – The recent Taste of Summer on Hobart’s waterfront shows that festivals like this are more than entertainment, they are economic powerhouses. Nearly 100,000 people attended, 10,000 more than last year, and about a third came from interstate or overseas.
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Illegal to ride e-scooters in bike lanes

27th December 2025 – The City of Hobart has admitted it gave incorrect advice for years by telling e-scooter riders they could legally use bike lanes, despite Tasmanian law banning the practice.
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Congestion highlights impacts of Collins Street changes

22nd December 2025 – I campaigned against the changes to Collins and Victoria streets, warning they would restrict access to the CBD, and the current Christmas congestion shows those concerns were well founded.
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Should car dealerships be banned in Hobart

17th December 2025 – A proposal before Hobart City Council to ban automotive retail from the CBD risks doing real and lasting damage to jobs, investment and confidence in the city.
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Calls to ban car yards from CBD

13th December 2025 – A motion is being put forward at the next Hobart City Council meeting on Monday 15 December to prohibit “automotive retail” in Hobart. This is exactly the kind of overreach that could drive business out of the city.
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Macquarie Point Stadium

1st December 2025 – I strongly support the development of the Macquarie Point Stadium. Tasmania’s economy in the past has been transformed by bold, future-focused projects, and this stadium has the potential to be the next one.
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Hobart’s Best Days Are On The Horizon

4th November 2025 – We need to foster a general culture of positivity instead of negativity being the default option, writes Edwin Johnstone.
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Education is key in battle to save city’s soul

8th October 2025 – Hobart’s heritage is both fragile and irreplaceable. In recent months, two incidents have highlighted just how vulnerable our most cherished public places are: the theft of bronze plaques from Soldiers’ Memorial Avenue, on the Queens Domain, and the damage inflicted on Kelly’s Steps, in Battery Point, by e-scooters.
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Markets play an integral role in driving economy

17th September 2025 – As the days lengthen and Hobart’s streets warm under the first sun of spring, the city’s markets are once again bustling with energy, colour and fresh local produce. From the Salamanca, Farm Gate and the Hobart Twilight markets to suburban pop-ups, these vibrant gatherings are more than weekend markets, they are a vital force in Hobart’s economy and community life.
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E-Scooters Vandalising historic Kelly’s Steps

13th September 2025 – Kelly’s Steps are still being trashed by e-scooters. I first raised this issue four years ago, and despite repeated warnings and clear evidence of damage, the only response has been the installation of a sign, which riders routinely ignore.
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Hobart’s CBD Must Retain Function and Accessibility

29th August 2025 – Hobart’s CBD can be lively and attractive, but must retain function and accessibility a vibrant and thriving Hobart means finding the right balance so the city works for everyone.
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Bike lane bullies

29th March 2025 – When the bike lanes in Collin St debate first started many businesses in the area vocalised their opposition to the proposal, but they quickly stopped being public about it. Behind the scenes support from businesses did not stop but they were genuinely concerned about tactics being deployed by those in favour of the proposal.
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Practical Solutions for Bike Lanes and Traffic Needed

10th Febraury 2025 – Debate raging over bike lanes in the CBD must be steered towards practical solutions it’s time the cycling lobby put the brakes on its ideological approach and listened to the views of all stakeholders.
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Scrambling to Hurt Hobart Businesses

12th December 2024 – A majority of Hobart councillors voted to continue the scramble crossing trial indefinitely. Why call these things a trial? The outcomes are predetermined and never put in place with local businesses in mind, just ideology.
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Business Wants Data on Cycleway Impact

9th November 2024 – Last week over 100 concerned business owners and residents of Hobart attended a public meeting on the bike lane proposal for Collins St. The event was organised by the Confederation of Greater Hobart Business.
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Small businesses need help as well

28th May 2024 – There is no doubt that small businesses are doing it tough at the moment. The growing number of vacant shops is an obvious sign with many more just scraping by. Now more than ever it is vital the State Government recognises this and assists where possible. 
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Is a backflip all that bad?

1st March 2024 – During this current Tasmanian State election campaign plenty of terms and slogans are being bandied around in equal measure by both major parties. Terms like moving forward, strong plan and cost of living relief are used when they describe themselves but what words are used to describe each other’s actions when it comes to policy changes?
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Save Hobart Small Businesses from Worsening Traffic Chaos

1st November 2023 – Hobart Small Businesses are suffering from current traffic management decisions, and it is only going to get worse. Current and proposed lane closures by UTAS combined with the new scrambled crossing are having an impact.
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