MP shares her vision

Grassroots projects push for suburb

GLENORCHY is on the verge of becoming Hobart’s answer to Brunswick, independent MP Madeleine Ogilvie says.

The member for Clark has just moved into her new Glenorchy premises at 353 Main Rd and says she doesn’t want to see the suburb “gentrified” and push out existing residents.

Instead, she hopes to see an increase in “grassroots” projects that make a difference for people who already call the suburb home.

“It’s ready. The time is ripe,” Ms Ogilvie said, pointing to “great little cafes” popping up and an increase in multicultural communities throughout Glenorchy.

“We want to be more like a Brunswick or Fitzroy, where people come in and we absorb them into the local community,” she said.

“There is already some of that gentrification pressure coming on, and we need to make sure that we keep that jigsaw of diversity.”

She said it made sense to masterplan the land that runs from Elwick to Montrose, as well as address some of the suburb’s public transport and unemployment problems.

“Maybe we could have more artists’ studios, maybe we could have more opportunities open for restaurants to start emerging, infill rather than high-rise – those sorts of things would be my personal preference,” she said.

Ms Ogilvie mentioned a number of projects that are helping Glenorchy people, including plans to introduce a “jobs bus” ferrying residents between their home suburb and employment opportunities such as farm jobs at Cambridge.

She also said investing in Tolosa Park’s skate park for young people was vital as well as increasing social enterprises employing people with disabilities – such as Derwent Park’s Car Yard Cafe.

She also flagged an idea of co-housing a football club facility with a social hub for older people and veterans, replacing Glenorchy’s now insolvent RSL.

Ms Ogilvie said she hoped to work with Glenorchy City Council to introduce a project displaying art by Glenorchy artists in empty shopfront windows.

“Let’s fill up our spaces with amazing things that help our kids and our talented people to show off the great things that they can do.”

She said she was keen to start “nipping at the heels” of Premier Will Hodgman to get State Government leadership and funding into what she described as a “really practical town” with a “cando attitude”.