Thomas in plea to end ‘hysteria’

LORD mayoral aspirant Damon Thomas has called for an end to “hysterical rhetoric” over tourism and for Hobart to embrace its current boom in visitor numbers.

Alderman Thomas says his Liveable Hobart Group will back the controversial kunanyi/Mt Wellington cable car and a focus on smaller cruise ships.

Mr Thomas said the group’s tourism vision balanced local community needs with those of visitors and investors.

“It is time for the hysterical rhetoric to stop,” he said.

“Council must get on with the job and work with tourism operators, the community and the State Government to build a city that retains a sense of place.

“We do not need to build a wall or stop the boats to keep tourists out. The future is about having the welcome mat out, not building a wall.

Lord Mayor Ron Christie has promoted tourism in China but has also expressed concern that the beauty and community fabric of “Hobart Town as we know it” is disintegrating.

However, Alderman Thomas and the Lord Mayor agree on one point: the number of cruise ship passengers.

“Our city cannot sustain a swarm of 10,000 to 15,000 passengers,” he said. “Life in Hobart is not about money, it’s about community. It’s not about skyscrapers, cable cars or mass influx of tourists, it’s about what we want for our city, our lifestyle and how we can sustain it.”

Ald Thomas said the Liveable Hobart Group would give people with the courage and conviction to develop a cable car the chance to lay their ideas on the table.

“We state categorically that any proponent who needs to include council land in a development application should be given land owner consent to facilitate a development application to come before the council,” he said.

Mr Thomas said there was a decision on council books that prevented a cable car developer using council land.

“We agree with the concept of a cable car up kunyanyi/Mt Wellington and we will deal with it as an application like any other application,” he said.

“We’re saying we have no problem with a cable car we just want the planning process to be followed with full public consultation.”

Ald Thomas said there needed to be improved cruise ship scheduling and ship selection.

“There is no doubt that three mass ships disgorging twenty thousand passengers in a single day is not sustainable,” he said. “LHG commits to prioritising smaller and higher yielding ships in preference to larger mass ships.”

Hobart will host 63 cruise ship visits this season including five in October.

The group has pledged to manage visitor accommodation so that it did not negatively affect the availability of longer term housing.

Ald Thomas said the council needed to set height limits for buildings to end uncertainty in the investment market.

Other policies he announced yesterday include council divestment of the Taste of Tasmania, support for Dark Mofo and Destinations Southern Tasmania, a new look for Castray Esplanade, establishment of a Visitor Economy Committee and a new Hobart Visitor Information Centre.

Voting in the Hobart City Council election is from October 8 to October 30.