FITCH QUESTIONS & RESPONSES APRIL 18 20190 – UTAS & GOVT FUNDING

Basil Fitch put a series of questions to Council in regard to issues around which there is either some ambiguity or avoidance of discussing them around the table and on the record. Arguably all these question should/could have been ask by Councillors in open council. For whatever reason there is a reluctance for Council to be transparent and accountable in regard to a range of issues of interest to ratepayers et al.

The questions and their responses are recorded here to to enable them to be more accessible to anyone researching matters related.

COUNCIL AGENDA Thursday 18 April 2019 7.1.1 

Public Questions on Notice - Mr Basil Fitch - 8 April 2019 FILE NO: SF6381

AUTHOR: Anthea Rooney (Committee Clerk) 

GENERAL MANAGER: Michael Stretton (General Manager) QUESTIONS and RESPONSES:

The following question/questions were submitted to Council on 8 April 2019 by Mr Basil Fitch and have been answered by Mr Michael Stretton (General Manager). 

Questions have been typed as they were received.

Question 1. Will Council please reveal the true and irrefutable facts in regard to Infrastructure Australia’s commitment to provide $150 Million towards UTas’s proposed relocation to Inveresk under the guise of UTas’s Northern Transformation?

Response: Whilst this question is more appropriately answered by the Australian Government or the University of Tasmania (UTAS), the Australian Government has committed $150 million investment into the Northern Transformation Project (NTP) to relocate the Launceston and Burnie University campuses.

Question 2. Given that there is any such a commitment when was it announced by Infrastructure Australia and how secure might the commitment be regarded as being?

Response: The Australian Government investment in the Launceston component of the NTP was announced bi-laterally at the last federal election. It was formalised as part of the Launceston City Deal and is formally contracted with UTAS via a Grant Deed. City of Launceston. 

Question 3. Is it the case that Infrastructure Australia itself, and alone, determines commitments exceeding $100 Million?.

Response: The following extract from Infrastructure Australia (IA) outlines its role. IA evaluates decisions on behalf of the Government who ultimately make the final determination. “Infrastructure Australia will undertake evaluations of project proposals that are nationally significant or where funding of more than $100 million is sought from the Commonwealth. This includes infrastructure proposals across all sectors, but excludes defence proposals.”

Question 4. Is it the case, as has been suggested, that Infrastructure Australia may not consider UTas’s Northern Transformation as appropriate infrastructure to be funded from within its budget and in accord with its priorities? 

Response: Infrastructure Australia does not allocate investment. IA assesses projects to inform Government decisions. 

Question 5. Has the Prime Minister made any firm and secure forward commitments in regard to ‘City Deal funding’ for Launceston in recent days/weeks? 

Response: Yes. The Federal Budget included $45 million (as well as $45 million from the State Government) for implementation of the Tamar River Health Action Plan which is a Launceston City Deal commitment. 

Question 6. Given Prof Adams’ reported understanding in the press that UTas has secured Infrastructure Australia’s $150 Million commitment towards UTas’s Northern Transformation planning, does this ‘understanding’ have any prospect of having real and reliable standing in the case of any possible outcome in the upcoming Federal election? 

Response: The funding from the Australian Government has already been committed via a formal Grant Deed with UTAS.

Question 7. Has Council estimated and quantified the ancillary infrastructure imposts that are likely to flow from UTas being able to realise its ‘staged development’ under its projected Northern Transforma tion aspirations - short and long term? 

Response:The Council has a clear understanding of the infrastructure requirements associated with the proposed re-location, including parking, people movement and stormwater/sewer (etc)

Question 8. Given that UTas is able to proceed with its Northern Transformation, by whatever means, has Council considered any planning constraints that it will impose upon the developments to mitigate against spiralling costs, given that UTas is a non-ratepaying ‘service soak’?

Response: The cost of the NTP is a matter for UTAS to answer, not the Council. However, it should be noted that the project will need to demonstrate compliance with the Launceston interim planning scheme. 

Question 9. In regard to ‘City Heart developments’, currently what are the unplanned cost overruns attributable to the projects on a project by project basis? 

Response: There have been no cost overruns with the City Heart projects. The three major projects: Quadrant Mall, Civic Square and Brisbane Street Mall re-developments have all been delivered within their respective budget allocations.

Question 10. What are the consequences to ratepayers flowing from these overruns and what mitigation is under ‘active consideration’ to alleviate any potential fiscal stress upon ratepayers? 

Response: Nil - refer answer to question 9.

Question 11. What are the major impediments to a positive future outlook flowing from the City Heart developments that constituents have identified and consequently what ‘community engagement activities’ is Council, and are Councillors, actively promoting and participating in to address the issues being identified?

Response:.Firstly, it should be acknowledged that the Civic Square re-development has been an overwhelming success in creating an active and dynamic public space which our community are using in a wide variety of ways. The increasing number of events held in the space, together with the increased day-to-day usage of the space by community members, is testament to all that the City Heart Project is seeking to achieve. Of course, the Council will continue to work to activate this space in new and interesting ways in the future and this will involve various forms of community engagement in the future. In respect to the Brisbane Street Mall redevelopment, the Council is in the process of completing an internal review of the project and this may result in a further community engagement approach around various design elements of this project.