The Liberals have dug their heels in and confirmed they will continue to stand in the way of UTAS selling or leasing the unused land above Churchill Avenue to fund its ambitious STEM plans.

Last night, Minister Madeleine Ogilvie issued a media release titled “Backing in the University of Tasmania”. This title was an interesting choice given the last line makes it clear they are forging ahead with their restrictive legislation which effectively freezes the university’s assets they were hoping to use to fund their STEM development.

The Minister asked “What message does it send to Tasmanians if the Commonwealth is unwilling to invest in this vital sector?”

Perhaps Ms Ogilvie should be asking herself what message she is sending to Tasmanians by standing in the way of the UTAS from being able to fund their ambitious STEM plans, while also standing in the way of the development of thousands of houses in Hobart.

Unfortunately, Jeremy Rockliff’s broken budget will significantly impact what the Government can contribute to the build – which only adds to the importance of the Liberals getting out of the way when it comes to the future of the University’s land above Churchill Avenue.

Labor stands for safe, secure well-paid jobs and having a university which is able to set our future generations up for employment opportunities of the future is critically important

UTAS is one of the best universities in the country – and with ambitious plans to improve their facilities and offering to students – we need to get behind it, not hold it back.

Dean Winter MP
Labor Leader

Sarah Lovell MLC
Shadow Minister for Education