MEDIA RELEASE: PUBLIC MEETING

CONTEXT: On Tuesday night a Public Meeting was held in Launceston’s Albert Hall to discuss Launceston Council’s decision to gift land to UTas to facilitate the university’s proposal to relocate nearer to Launceston’s CBD. The Public Meeting was an outcome of a citizens’ initiated petition that called upon Launceston’s Council to call a Public Meeting to discuss the issue.

Here are a few ‘dot’ points to summarise Tuesday night’s Public Meeting:

• Criticism of Council’s lack of due diligence, including construction problems/costs and issues with developing on the flood plains of the North Esk River and potential seismic risks 

• The track record of UTas in consistently chipping away at the Launceston campus making it but a shadow of what it was 20 years ago. There is no confidence this pattern will change 

• 10,000 PLUS extra students can’t be guaranteed. It is an aspirational figure based on demographics not fact, and a fraud to say that is the kind of figure that will eventuate from this proposal 

• Absence of support by electors 

• Risk of UTas plan not fully eventuating or finding success – the punt 

• Reliance on trust versus a properly defined and proven business plan 

• The Northern Campuses remaining lesser branches of UTas without the ability of independent initiatives to remain sustainable 
• Traffic congestion and parking inadequacies for UTas and other users of the precinct 

• We need a uniquely Northern campus independent of UTas 

EXAMINER LINKS
UTAS land deal discussed at Launceston public meeting
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/3983055/uni-land-worth-5m/?cs=94
Stop the agitation – support our uni project
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/3985284/stop-the-agitation-support-our-uni-project/?cs=97

TASMANIAN RATEPAYERS BLOG LINK
http://www.tasratepayers.blogspot.com.au/
POST PUBLIC MEETING ASSESSMENT
http://tasratepayers.blogspot.com.au/2016/06/post-public-meeting-assessment.htm