At 5am yesterday, after 10 years watching the University move into the city, the Liberals announced they would keep the University of Tasmania at Sandy Bay.
Only hours later, Jeremy Rockliff was walking the announcement back, telling journalists “It’s not stopping UTAS. But what it’s doing is ensuring that sale or lease of the land will have to go through both Houses of Parliament.”
By 5pm, Madeleine Ogilvie was telling ABC radio the Liberals were not actually committed to keeping UTAS at Sandy Bay at all. Saying “The Premier is quite right when he says ‘what we want to see is the plan’.”
The plan is on the UTAS website. It has been there for four years. Has the Premier, who was the long-time Education Minister, not noticed? Is he denying he was ever briefed by UTAS?
Ms Ogilvie was then unable to say how she would vote on her own announcement.
BREADEN: How will you vote, when it comes to Parliament, when potentially UTAS is looking at moving everything into the CBD, how will you vote?
OGILVIE: Well if we have a compelling business case that makes sense then I think that will resonate with people. I hope there will be many discussions building up the understanding of what needs to be done and why. Funding issues will need to be addressed and I think that consultation and that building of social licence will be incredibly important. So when it comes to a vote, maybe the work has been done.
…
BREADEN: Will that (Parliamentary motion) be rejected by all Liberals?
OGILVIE: Well, no. We would need to see the plan.
It is now completely unclear what the Liberals’ position on UTAS move is just 24 hours after it was announced. Almost half of the University has already moved while the Liberals have been in Government.
The Property Council called the interview ‘baffling’ and ‘bizarre’ which was a polite description. The HIA and Master Builders slammed the announcement.
The Premier must clarify today – is the Liberal Party proposing to keep the UTAS Campus at Sandy Bay, or not?
Dean Winter MP
