Securing Hobart’s fair share: the $20 million opportunity

Hobart Needs a Lord Mayor who can Negotiate, Not a Commentator

The Lord Mayor is not simply another elected member with a larger title.

At the council table, the Lord Mayor still has only one vote. They cannot dictate an outcome. They must persuade colleagues, build consensus and then represent the decision of the chamber responsibly—even when their personal view was different.

Constantly promoting a personal position contrary to the council’s decision creates confusion and havoc. The community, investors and other governments need to know whether the Lord Mayor is speaking for Hobart or merely speaking for themselves.

But the greatest difference between the Lord Mayor and other elected members is the work that happens beyond the council chamber.

A primary responsibility of the Lord Mayor is to build strong relationships with State and Federal governments and use those relationships to secure grants, partnerships and investment for Hobart.

That requires professionalism, trust and the ability to disagree without destroying the relationship.

There is a place for strong advocacy. But those who make a habit of publicly attacking governments will generally find it harder to sit across the table from those same governments and successfully ask for funding.

Permanent hostility is not a funding strategy.

My analysis of equivalent funding received by Tasmanian councils indicates that Hobart is falling short by around $20 million each year compared with the average.

That shortfall is equivalent to approximately 20 per cent of Hobart’s rates revenue.

This is not a minor accounting difference. It demonstrates why the ability to build relationships and negotiate with government is one of the most important skills a Lord Mayor can possess.

When grant funding is not secured, the cost does not disappear. Projects are delayed, reduced, abandoned, funded through borrowing or placed back onto Hobart households and businesses through rates.

I have already shown what constructive government relationships can achieve.

When Hobart’s Chinese community lost its $30,000 council grant for Chinese New Year celebrations, I did not simply complain about the decision. I worked with the community and approached the State Government.

The State Government stepped in with replacement funding, allowing the celebrations to proceed.

That is a classic example of the role the Lord Mayor should perform: identify the problem, speak to the right people and secure an outcome.

The same approach is needed for larger projects involving transport, stormwater, ageing CBD infrastructure, public safety, disability access and community facilities.

Hobart needs a Lord Mayor who can represent the chamber, maintain productive relationships and negotiate effectively with governments of every political persuasion.

The job is not to win every argument or produce the loudest headline.

It is to win investment and outcomes for Hobart.