Call to prepare for rise
THE Tasmanian government needs to establish a dedicated planning department, public transport authority and state architect’s office if it is to effectively prepare for projected population growth over the next decade, Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds says.
The state’s population is expected to reach 647,000 in 2032-33, according to new figures from the federal government’s Centre for Population, released on Friday.
The 2022 Population Statement anticipates the population of Tasmania will grow from 568,000 (as at June 30, 2021) to 647,000 in 2032-33, equating to a total increase of 79,000 people.
Greater Hobart’s population is predicted to increase from 251,000 to 298,000 over the next 10 years.
Ms Reynolds said the projections were a “signal” that the state had to be “much more prepared for growth and managing change”.
“That does require some quite significant additional skills and capacity inside the state government so that we’ve got some of the similar key institutions that other growing states have had for a number of years,” she said.
The Lord Mayor believes the government should set up a public transport authority and a stand-alone planning department within the State Service, as well as resurrect the state architect role, which was scrapped in 2012.
“We need to ensure that we’re lifting our state institutions and agencies and expertise to really work with local government, as well, in managing this kind of population growth,” she said.
Clarence’s population has experienced a growth of 19 per cent over the past decade, making it the fastest growing municipality in the greater Hobart area.
Mayor Brendan Blomeley said “the city as we know it will not look the same in the future”.
“We know Clarence Plains is the fastest growing area in Tasmania, with predictions of it housing more than 20,000 people by 2035,” he said.
“We’ve been planning for this, and are on track to deliver through the development of the Clarence Plains Master Plan which is expected to be adopted by council early this year.”
In Kingborough, more than 20 per cent of residents were born overseas and the 40,000-strong population is expected to grow “rapidly” in the coming years, Mayor
Paula Wriedt said. She said a growing population meant greater pressure on the area’s infrastructure, as well as more traffic, and that many of the council’s “pleas” to the state and federal governments for additional investment in roads, traffic management, housing, and community sporting facilities had gone “unanswered”.
Similarly, Glenorchy Mayor Bec Thomas said a ballooning population would lead to a heavier burden on infrastructure and services in Hobart’s northern suburbs.
“Local government in Tasmania does its best, however currently we don’t have all the tools required to support growth of this magnitude into the future,” she said.