Tasmanian Labor says it will support the University of Tasmania’s move into central Hobart
After staying out of the debate over the University of Tasmania’s contentious plan to move into Hobart’s CBD, Labor says it is on board with what it calls a game changer for the state’s education and housing sectors. It has vowed to oppose legislation that would give parliament the final say over whether UTAS can sell or lease its Sandy Bay campus.
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00:00Under new leadership, and after another election wake-up call, Labor's getting off the fence.
00:08I'm not going to sit still on the sidelines and allow this government to kill off one
00:11of the most exciting development opportunities this state has seen in decades.
00:16After backflipping to support an AFL stadium at Hobart's Macquarie Point, Dean Winters
00:21announced his latest pro-development stance, backing the University of Tasmania's contentious
00:27plan to move into the CBD and build housing on its Sandy Bay campus.
00:32I think this can change the game when it comes to Tasmania's education and we strongly support
00:36it.
00:37The group fighting the move, not budging on their position.
00:40The future of the university is at stake here.
00:44We are seeing a decline in enrolments, we are seeing a decline in morale, and it's not
00:50just about the move, it's the way the university is being currently managed.
00:54The government has proposed giving parliamentarians the final say on whether the campus can be
00:59sold or leased, and says Labor should have made its stance clear earlier.
01:04It's important, I think, during an election campaign in particular, to tell people what
01:09you stand for.
01:10And what we're seeing now is yet another example of change on the fly.
01:15We've now seen the legislation, and the legislation is horrific.
01:19It's terrible for the university and it sends a terrible message to every investor in this
01:24state.
01:25Labor will need plenty of help to stop the government's legislation.
01:29The Liberals and the Greens, who oppose the move, have a majority of seats in the lower
01:33house and only need the support of three independents to get the law change through the upper house.
01:39The Liberals putting hurdles in front of development, while Labor supports it.
01:43A new reality the opposition leader says Tasmanians should get used to.