Consultation proposal exercise in validation

UTAS Vice-Chancellor Rupert Black’s latest brainwave deserves comment.

The proposed 80-person community panel will not change anything. It is hard to understand exactly what Professor Black is doing. I read what he is saying, but it makes little sense.

He says the move to the CBD is non-negotiable. Over many weeks/months we were bombarded with full-page colourful drawings in the Mercury showing where the respective faculties woud be located. Now we are informed by the V-C “that staff and students will be invited to provide input in to what it is that creates the best possible learning facilities, what is the right location for them for the best possible research, and how that is designed”.

So it seems that while those decisions have been made, and plans are already developed, staff and students are now being invited to validate them.

In addition, members of the community are being invited to join a panel to provide input as to how the Sandy Bay land might best be carved up after the move to the CBD has been completed.

It will be interesting to see if Prof Black can find 80 people prepared to assist him with that. But what is of relevance: is there anyone out there who can tell us why the condition that stipulated that, if the land at Sandy Bay ceased to be used for educational purposes, it would revert to state government ownership, was removed? And could someone from the university council other than Prof Black inform us how the council is acting in good faith by abandoning the Sandy Bay site and selling /leasing that land.

Peter Williams

Sandy Bay