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Growth tops if done right

ASMANIA has a lifestyle that is the envy of the world. And this is not a vain boast. People visit from the farthest shores to soak up the combination of natural attractions and buzzing cultural and food scenes.

Crucial to our appeal is an easygoing feel, a sense of relaxation that offers respite from many of the congested cities of the world.

Whether they are art lovers from Europe or gourmets from Asia, they are beguiled by a place in which people have time to stop and say hello, to give directions or to welcome a newcomer to their neighbourhood.

Publications from The New Yorker to Lonely Planet have sung the island’s praises.

And as our popularity grows, so our population edges upwards.

Despite concerns about growth, a bigger population can be the key to an economic growth that is crucial to quality of life including the essentials, good health care and education.

Hobart is a small city. With the right infrastructure, it can be home to more people without sacrificing lifestyle.

Our readers have made it clear through our Tassie 2022 campaign, they want to preserve our way of life.

But the tourism boom may not always be so lucrative, so we must be set up economically for the long term.

Along with the gentrification that we report on today, comes the reality that many are left behind.

People who cannot afford to live close to the major

Our readers have made it clear through our Tassie 2022 campaign, they want to preserve our way of life.

cities are pushed further away from services.

Without good transport, they do not have good employment prospects. They find it harder to access quality education and health care. And so the cycle continues.

As we have reported, this disparity is not just an issue of social justice, but a brake on the economy.

Convincing many Tasmanians we can sustain more people will be a challenge.

But imagine if Hobart was bigger. Not a massive city, mind you, but just that step up from what it is now.

It would allow more businesses to establish and others to expand, providing stable employment. That includes our small businesses, the engine room of the economy, that are often relegated to barely surviving because of a lack of economies of scale.

It would mean more and better healthcare services and a greater number of highly qualified medical professionals. It would also bring the biggest and best sports events and entertainers.

And so — as we have said in this column already this week — it is incumbent on the Liberal and Labor parties, one of which will form government in just two months, to spell out their plans for sustainable growth. Motherhood statements are not enough. We need hard figures on roads, parking, public transport and housing.

Each site must give certainty, so that the challenges that will invariable face us over the next four years do not catch us unawares.

These challenges are at the heart of the Tassie 2022 campaign we have run over the past fortnight..

It is about the future for all of us and for the state we all love. After all, nothing is more important.