UTAS eyes fresh pasture

THE University of Tasmania will move its agriculture headquarters from Hobart to its Newnham campus in a bid to strengthen its presence across the regions and revitalise the ageing northern site.

Vice-chancellor Rufus Black said a Newnham master plan, currently in progress, would include “significant further developments” and a series of key initiatives.

“We’re committed to moving away from a hub-andspoke model to a truly regionally networked one,” Prof Black said.

With the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture headquarters would go its laboratories and 70 to 80 academic staff.

“It remains statewide, but headquartered at the heart of the Tasmanian agricultural sector.”

Prof Black said there would be no jobs lost as a result of the move. Staff would be rehired in Launceston as they turned over naturally in Hobart.

A professional services centre would be built at Newnham to support the whole university, bringing a further 200 staff to Launceston.

Prof Black said the Australian Maritime College would remain at the site with the master plan underpinned by government funding commitments in the $330m Blue Economy Co-operative Research Centre and the $30m Defence and Maritime Innovation and Design Precinct.

He said the master plan would see the Newnham campus become a dynamic, mixeduse precinct, rather than it being diminished as the $300m Northern Transformation Project progresses and faculties move to Inveresk.

Launceston-based management senior lecturer in UTAS’ College of Business and Economic Gemma Lewis said it was “wonderful to see further investment in Launceston”.

“I think that will just add to the atmosphere here and expand what’s on offer for staff and students to study and research,” she said.

“Having more of the university based here in the north can add value to what we do within business through additional research projects happening.”

The master plan will be finalised and publicly released in coming months.