Minister Guy Barnett appears
to have accidentally announced the Rockliff-Ferguson Government wants to move
the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) from Kingston to Macquarie Point.
Mr Barnett’s announcement in
the Parliament today foreshadows a bad move that would uproot up to 300
scientists, researchers and other workers from their purpose built facility at
Kingston.
The AAD’s Kingston base houses
science, electronics and electron microscopy labs, a krill research aquarium
and other operational and support facilities.
Just because the Macquarie
Point development is a mess and something has to be seen to be done, that should
not be the catalyst for such a move.
This move will make congestion for Kingborough and Huon Valley commuters worse, as a very high number of AAD staff live at Kingston and will only add to the already congested Southern Outlet.
Dean Winter MP
Shadow Minister for Economic Development
