EDITORIAL
Labor Leader Dean Winter
As Tasmanian Labor leader I get to travel all over the state and that means I get to visit a lot of hospitality businesses. Everywhere I go, the hard work of hospitality operators and staff is obvious, from the small-town café to the big-name restaurant. People in this industry take great pride in what they do and what our beautiful state produces. However, something else is also obvious. The hospitality industry is under pressure from increasing costs and businesses are feeling the pinch. While the increasing cost of living continues to restrict how much Tasmanian households can afford to spend when out and about, the impact also hits venues directly. When the cost of supplies keeps going up, the pressure on business viability is relentless. While the latest national figures show that inflation has stabilised, prices are still increasing and household incomes are not keeping pace. Hence, it’s no surprise consumer confidence remains very low.
impact on the city and businesses, especially around the Midtown area that is now home not just to university facilities and student accommodation, but a plethora of restaurants, cafes and bars. The UTAS move is a huge opportunity. It will bring in thousands of people who need to eat and who also want to socialise. Most modern-day students work alongside their studies, and being in the city where the jobs are makes it easier. We’re already seeing the success of UTAS’ transformation into Burnie and Launceston. Now it’s time to finish the move in Hobart. The bid to give Parliament the power to decide what UTAS can and cannot do is a handbrake on progress. I fear it will undermine confidence – not just in our state capital, but across the state.
Now some good news: poker games are returning to pubs and clubs after an abrupt ban last year.
In these tough circumstances our state needs every injection of optimism possible.
I thought it was ridiculous that Tasmanians could no longer play for small stakes in real-life competitions, something that was important to both players and the venues. I was part of the campaign to bring back poker and now a ministerial direction has allowed it to resume. It took way too long, but games are back on. I say cheers to that!
The Labor Party is backing a proposal that will help re-energise central Hobart and create much-needed housing. We support the University of Tasmania moving from its Sandy Bay campus into the city and its plan to use the site for housing.
This process is well underway, with a majority of UTAS operations already in the CBD. This has had a big
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