Hobart ready to do a City Deal

Published on 01 September 2017

The Lord Mayor of Hobart, Alderman Sue Hickey, today said that she and the other Lord Mayors of Australian Capital Cities, had a very productive meeting with the Assistant Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation, Angus Taylor.

“Minister Taylor spoke very positively about upcoming City Deals and said that he was applying three criteria to the next announcements.

“That there be a joint vision for the city (state, federal and local); that the projects and initiatives are city shaping initiatives and projects; and finally that there has to be a strategic need.

“The University of Tasmania’s STEM project satisfies all these criterion.  I have advised Assistant Minister Taylor that the Hobart City Deal meets these requirements and that we are ready and willing to sit down with the Premier of Tasmania and Assistant Minister Taylor to deliver the STEM project for our capital city.

“I have written to the Prime Minister and the Premier to reinforce this view.  The Tasmanian Government and the Prime Minister need to know that Hobart is ready to go.  The Vice-Chancellor is ready to go but we need the state and federal governments to join us in delivering this fantastic project.

"The STEM project ticks so many boxes.  It is about improved higher education outcomes for Tasmanians but will also result in improved public transport access to the city and improved connectivity and mobility throughout the city. Additionally, it will encourage more housing accommodation in the city. I am also expecting this deal will lead to significant investment by the private sector seeking to take advantage of the increased opportunities that will arise. It's a no-brainer,” said the Lord Mayor.

STEM FACTS:

  • STEM is a proposal for a $400m Science and Technology precinct in the inner city
  • The proposal is for 40,000m2 of teaching and research facilities
  • Space for more than 3,000 students and 700 staff 
  • The key drivers of the project are to:
    • Build Tasmania’s capacity in the crucial STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
    • Deliver high-level inter-disciplinary research with the potential to create new economic sectors across the state.
    • Attract new future-facing enterprises and industries to the state.

 

 

Tagged as:
Back to top