At its January Council meeting, a motion put forward by mayor Christina Holmdahl urged UTAS to ensure more courses were offered in the North and for it to increase the number of Professors and Associate Professors residing in the region.

The motion was moved by Councillor Tim Woinarski, on behalf of the mayor, who was chairing the meeting, and seconded by Councillor Peter Kearney and passed unanimously.

“While the council is supportive of the university and its plans to move the campus, this has been at the forefront of the council’s concerns,” Cr Woinarski said.

The council said it wanted to ensure staff and students were relocated North.

A UTAS spokesperson said the institution was investing in and expanding their presence in the North of the state. 

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“We are investing in and expanding our presence across the north of the state with new, regionally distinctive courses being developed for Launceston and Burnie, along with modern, inviting and exciting campuses for our staff, students and the community,” the spokesperson said.

“New professorial-level academic staff are being appointed in the North. One position has already been advertised, another will be advertised in the next two weeks, with additional positions to follow over the next six months including at the Launceston Institute for Applied Science and Design.”

A new course to be located in Launceston is the Bachelor of Business, which was launched this year.

“The accelerated Bachelor of Business will allow students to complete a full degree in two years, tapping into Launceston’s rich community of businesses and entrepreneurs,” the spokesperson said.

Cr Woinarski said the university’s presence in the North “had been downgraded” since 1992 and wanted to ensure a decentralisation from Hobart.

The motion follows a meeting the council had with a group comprising Professor Martin Renison, Dr Brian Hartnett, Don Wing AM LLB and Professor Coleman O’Flaherty. 

Cr Kearney compared UTAS’ management with Cricket Tasmania and was derisive of its Hobart-centric attitude in the past.

However, Cr Kearney acknowleged the work of UTAS vice-chancellor Rufus Black, who had met with the council in September to outline his regional vision.

“The new vice-chancellor will need as much help as he can get the people in Hobart to accept it’s the University of Tasmania, not Hobart,” Cr Kearney said.

The council meeting was held at Beaconsfield on January 15.

A development application for the Launceston campus is still yet to be lodged by UTAS, despite the initial deadline being given as the end of 2018.

City of Launceston mayor Albert van Zetten said he believed the new campus model would revitalise the area and would bring regional benefits.

“Otherwise we would have seen a university that was dying,” he said.

Cr van Zetten did not comment on the West Tamar motion, but said the campus was such a project that it “would never please everyone.”

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