Reynolds brushes off ‘parting shot’

NEWLY elected Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds has fired back at claims made by her predecessor that a kunanyi/Mt Wellington cable car development was set to divide the Hobart City Council.

Alderman Reynolds denied the council would begin a new term split over their views about a cable car development, and she accused former lord mayor Ron Christie of creating negative noise among the elected aldermen.

It comes after Mr Christie yesterday said the voters of Hobart had elected two distinct factions — one favouring the Greens and one clearly Right-wing and pro-development.

Ald Reynolds said: “It was a parting shot.”

“Ron had tried to suggest there was some sort of done deal, that everyone was locked into certain positions [regarding a cable car development],” she said.

“As a leader, I want to remind people we have to keep an open mind and assess any development application when or if we get it.

“To start a new council with this view that we’re two div- ided camps around one project is not positive at all.”

Re-elected alderman Tanya Denison said she wasn’t sure which way aldermen would vote if a cable car development application was submitted.

“I can’t pick it at all,” Ald Denison said. “We’re all required to enter council without predetermined positions and not express our points of view.

“I think most aldermen share the same sentiment that they would like to see a proper process followed.”

Aldermen voted in August for no cable car infrastructure to be built on council land after the Mt Wellington Cableway Company sought authorisation for a flora and fauna study at its proposed base site.

Ald Denison said the 7-4 August council vote may give an indication to the views of a number of aldermen, but she said gauging the views of the new council would be nothing more than speculation given there was no development application before council.

“We saw the vote prior to the election where a number of aldermen supported a barrier to this particular application, but with four new faces on council, it’s hard to say how a vote would fall,” she said.

“I hope the new council will approach all development applications with proper consideration.”

MORE Tasmanian women are having an input in local government with females making up almost half of those newly elected to sit around the council table.

Male candidates in last months’ elections for 28 of the state’s 29 councils outnumbered females by almost two to one but it appears the community wants to see more balance in local government with almost 100 women among the 244 elected.

Tasmania has 14 new mayors after October’s poll.

In total there are now 11 female mayors in the state – Jan Bonde in Central Coast, Loueen Triffitt in Central Highlands, Annette Rockliff in Devonport, Annie Revie on Flinders Island, Bridget Archer in George Town, Debbie Wisby in Glamorgan-Spring Bay, Anna Reynolds in Hobart, Bec Enders in Huon Valley, Mary Knowles in Northern Midlands and Christina Holmdahl in West Tamar.

Glenorchy also has a female mayor, Kristie Johnston, who was elected in January.

Tasmanian Electoral Commissioner Andrew Hawkey said the statewide vote-return rate in the local government elections was 58.73 per cent – the second highest on record.

“It was a very good re- sponse. It was the highest rate since 1996,” Mr Hawkey said.

“If you compare it to Western Australia where the return rate is only about 30 per cent it shows a high level of engagement.”

The highest return rate was recorded on Flinders Island, where almost 83 per cent of eligible voters got involved.

Other high-performing municipalities were Break O’Day where 72.14 per cent of eligible voters had their say, Dorset (72.97 per cent) and Glamorgan-Spring Bay, where Michael Kent lost his position as mayor after 78.83 per cent cast their vote.

The lowest return rate was recorded in Brighton (52.6 per cent) followed by West Tamar (53.19 per cent), Launceston (53.47 per cent) and Clarence (53.58 per cent).

Hobart City Council had the largest field of candidates at 36, followed by Launceston City Council where 32 battled for a spot.

It was a very good response. It was the highest rate since 1996 Electoral Commissioner

ANDREW HAWKEY