Media release – Madeleine Ogilvie, Minister for Corrections and Rehabilitation, Minister for Workplace Safety and Consumer Affairs, Minister for Science and Technology, Minister for Advanced Manufacturing and Defence Industries, Minister for the Arts, Member for Clark, 28 February 2024

Where Does Labor Stand On UTAS?

The Liberals position on the UTAS relocation is crystal clear: we will amend the University of Tasmania Act 1992 to require that the land at Sandy Bay currently held by the University of Tasmania cannot be sold except with the explicit support of both Houses of the Parliament.

Can’t be clearer.

What isn’t clear: where does Labor stand?

Where does Rebecca White stand?

Where does Josh Willie stand?

Where does Ella Haddad stand? (Has anyone actually seen Ella this campaign?)

It’s just not acceptable during an election campaign for any political party to sit on the fence. Voters deserve to know where Labor stands.

Labor needs to come clean on UTAS.

Media release – Dean Winter MP, 28 February 2024

Is Jeremy Rockliff keeping the University at Sandy Bay or not?

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?

Greens Back Police Commissioner, UTas at Sandy Bay, Duck Hunting Ban