Mac Point stifling Mofo

DARK Mofo’s growth could be stunted without swift action on Mac Point, according to the festival’s creative director.

Leigh Carmichael made the blunt warning after the Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania and Labor queried progress on the long-awaited waterfront precinct.

The original vision — proposed by Mona in 2016 — included a “cultural space”, such as a theatre. Mr Carmichael described the Mac Point project as “floundering”.

“The festival is doing well as it is [but any delay] certainly has ramifications for growth,” Mr Carmichael said.

“I just can’t see where we could grow. All our venues are full and many of our shows are selling out now.”

Tourism Industry Council fof Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin questioned “what on earth is going on” with the broader Mac Point development. “At the moment, what we don’t see is any tangible progress toward the Mona reset vision,” he said. “Surely we’re not going to sit here and wait for 20 years for the sewage works to be moved?”

Macquarie Point Development Corporation chief executive Mary Massina said the timeline for development on the site was reliant on new planning rules for the site being approved.

Work had started with TasWater on the infrastructure needed to remove the wastewater treatment plant, she said, as well as work on installing services such as the NBN.

“[New planning] rules were supported by the Hobart City Council last month and are now before the Tasmanian Planning Commission, which is the process Parliament supported late last year,” Ms Massina said. “The Corporation is hopeful those planning rules will be approved early in this financial year, so the first permanent development application for stage one of the road access can start construction immediately after the remediation of the escarpment land.”

New Infrastructure Minister Michael Ferguson said work was well under way on the site. “Work within Mac Point has been continuing, with the remediation of the first of six land parcels being completed — the remaining five are due to be completed within the next 18 months,” Mr Ferguson said.

But Labor infrastructure spokesman David O’Byrne described the project as a “national embarrassment”.

“Five years down the track we essentially have a couple of temporary pop-ups and the best view of any carpark in the state,” Mr O’Byrne said.

“This is symptomatic of a State Government that can’t land anything significant.”