Hobart City Council alderman and candidate for Lord Mayor, Dr Peter Sexton is calling on the University of Tasmania (UTAS) and the Hobart City Council to strengthen their partnership to leverage the vast skill sets offered by UTAS to improve the social and economic outcomes for Hobart City Council residents.
Council and UTAS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2009 which was aimed at promoting Hobart as a centre of educational excellence. One measure of the success of this MOU is that unlike many mainland Universities, international student numbers have not declined at UTAS.
The MOU also recognises the positive contribution that the University makes to the social, cultural and economic development of the community, yet there is little evidence of collaboration between the Hobart City Council and UTAS. Neither UTAS nor the Hobart City Council appears to have an agreed strategy for collaborative working to impact on the city economy, people, place and leadership.
“We must not miss the opportunity for much greater interaction between UTAS and the Hobart City Council to better understand the factors that are important in making Hobart more liveable for our residents and more attractive to visitors”, Alderman Sexton said.
“Hobart City Council has an extensive program of cultural grants, cultural events, major events such as the Taste of Tasmania and initiatives such as Youth ARC and the 50 and Better Centre. Yet we have few formal arrangements with experts from UTAS to assist in developing programs and evaluating the impacts of initiatives and events on our community”. Alderman Sexton said.
“As the historical functions of local government, such as water and sewerage, disappear, there is a great opportunity for local government to regularly and systematically engage with the community to identify priorities and appropriate strategic direction. UTAS is an important element of the City of Hobart yet its involvement in developing and partnering to achieve strategic outcomes for the Hobart community is far too limited”, he said.
“Universities such as Cambridge and Oxford, where the city and the university is synonymous, have a deep and dynamic relationship with the economic, social and cultural life of the cities in which they are based. Hobart is a University City, yet the activities of the University and the City of Hobart remain relatively detached from each other, apart perhaps from University buildings gradually permeating the CBD and beyond”, said Dr Sexton.
Professor Adrian Franklin, Professor of Sociology at the University of Tasmania who is perhaps best known as a presenter on the ABC Collectors show agrees. “The potential of partnerships between the University and the city…have not been exploited as much as they might”, Professor Franklin said. “I am certainly keen that this be addressed and there are no shortages of expertise with applications for the local community. Within the School of Sociology and Social work, for example, we have the vibrant Housing and Community Research Unit with seven core staff and eleven associates”, Professor Franklin said.
Dr Sexton said that Professor Franklin is an international expert in the area of urban sociology, urban change and tourism and has written numerous related books.
“Tourism is an extremely important industry for cities such as Hobart which can offer the benefits of heritage, the natural environment and a well developed arts sector, yet experts such as Professor Franklin are rarely included in our considerations”, he said.
“Hobart City Council spends millions of dollars each year promoting the city and working with stakeholders to encourage tourism and facilitate business activities and employment in our municipality. Collaboration with experts at the University of Tasmania to better understand our own city, the effectiveness of existing activities and how we can improve our offer to our own residents and our visitors is essential if we are to realise the full potential of our beautiful city”, Dr Sexton said.
