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.
It’s also hard to ignore how we got here. Years of missteps around the move into the Hobart CBD have led to this point, and now the answer seems to be selling off land to fund what comes next.
The reality is, passing this bill doesn’t suddenly give UTAS the money it needs. The plan still relies on around $500 million from state and federal governments, and neither has committed. Selling bits of land will only go a small way towards that.
And once public land is sold, it’s gone.
Everyone wants a strong university. But it’s fair to ask whether the current approach and the leadership behind it is actually getting us there.
Right now, it doesn’t feel like it is.
Edwin Johnstone
Chair, Business Greater Hobart