opinion – Edwin Johnstone for Hobart City Council

Hobart: A great place to live, work and build a future

I recently spoke with ABC Radio Hobart about the growing career opportunities our city offers and why more people are choosing to build their lives here. We discussed Hobart’s expanding technology and innovation sector, the growth of hybrid work and the increasing number of Tasmanians returning home. Hobart offers something special: genuine career opportunities alongside…

Small Business is Community

Published Mercury Newspaper THRIVING LOCAL BUSINESSES HELP BRING EVERYONE TOGETHER, WRITES EDWIN JOHNSTONE When people talk about small business, the conversation usually begins with jobs, economic activity and investment. Those things matter enormously. Small businesses employ local people, buy from local suppliers and keep money circulating through the region. But small business is not just…

Positive Investment in Hobart’s Waterfront

Major Hotel Investment Shows Confidence in Hobart’s Waterfront A major redevelopment at Elizabeth Street Pier is bringing fresh investment and new energy to one of Hobart’s most prominent waterfront locations. Somerset on the Pier is being transformed into Citadines Elizabeth Street Pier Hobart, a premium waterfront hotel operated by The Ascott Limited Australasia. The redevelopment…

Ask Right Questions

Published Mercury Newspaper In response to Ron Christie’s opinion piece about his decision to invite 50 people to run for Hobart City Council this October, there is no doubt Hobart needs respectful, capable and community-minded people around the council table. Encouraging good people to stand is positive, but I am sure there are many capable…

Hobart Hospitality Hit Hard by Closures

The sudden closure of seven well-known Hobart hospitality venues should be treated as a serious wake-up call for the city. Cargo Bar, Jack Greene, Post Street Social, Observatory Bar, Republic Bar, Franklin Wharf Restaurant & Bar, and Franklin Wharf Function Centre are not minor venues on the edge of the economy. They are part of…

A Community Vision for St David’s Park

St David’s Park could become Hobart’s next great outdoor gathering space writes Edwin Johnstone. St David’s Park is one of Hobart’s most beautiful and historic public spaces. Sitting between the CBD, Salamanca and the waterfront, it is a park many people walk past, walk through or admire from a distance. But for much of the…

Regatta Quay Proposal Deserves a Proper Look

A new proposal for the Hobart waterfront deserves serious and open-minded consideration. Councillor John Kelly has put forward a motion asking Hobart City Council to explore the Regatta Quay concept, a significant mixed-use development proposal for the waterfront area near Macquarie Point and the Regatta Grounds. The proposal includes a large underground car park, park-and-ride…

Dark Mofo Delivers for Hobart

Dark Mofo has once again shown the value of major events to Hobart’s economy, with Hobart Airport recording around 100,000 airline seats during the two-week festival period and Dark Mofo drawing about 550,000 entries across its venues. These numbers matter. They mean more people staying in hotels, eating in restaurants, visiting bars, using taxis and…

Salamanca to Lose 16 Parking Spaces

Hobart City Council is considering a plan to remove 16 parking spaces from Montpelier Retreat and make a major section one-way as part of a redesign near Salamanca. The proposal would add wider footpaths and trees, but at the cost of parking and vehicle access in one of Hobart’s busiest precincts. Montpelier Retreat is an…

An Uphill Battle on the Mountain

We cant ‘fine’ our way out of a problem at kunanyi, writes Edwin Johnstone kunanyi / Mount Wellington is one of our greatest natural assets, attracting visitors year-round for its scenery, recreation and unique alpine environment. When snow falls, visitor numbers increase dramatically, exposing the growing strain on the mountain’s access and infrastructure. But its…