The workshop attendees were divided into four tables and asked to identify the key challenges that will be faced by Greater Hobart over the next ten years and the opportunities for the region if these challenges can be addressed. Each table discussed what they believed these challenges were,
and then presented their findings back to the wider group.
The top 8 challenges identified were:
These were collated and discussed at greater length, before a voting process was conducted to
trim the list of challenges down to four. The four key challenges rated by all participants in order
from top challenge were:
Workshop members then considered two questions: what are the barriers preventing the community from addressing these challenges, and what role can the Committee for Greater Hobart take, both in the next twelve months and the next five years, to help overcome them? This led to a series of robust, thoughtful and fruitful conversations. Many ideas were discussed, and many possible solutions were raised. It wouldn’t be possible to include everything in this report, but here are a few salient examples.
1. Moving past a culture of no
One of the barriers preventing our region from moving past its ‘say-no’ culture is a tendency to focus on short-term outcomes. To address this, the Committee can bring carefully researched, evidence-based thinking into the public domain, and use it to help shift our culture towards generational, long-term planning. Key to this is involving the young people of Greater Hobart, so they can have valuable, meaningful inputs into the future of their home. Presenting options for people to choose from will drive a ‘yes’ culture and genuine discussion rather than one option inviting a ‘no’ culture.
2. A cohesive, community-driven plan
The creation of a community-based economic development plan has been hindered by a lack of coordination between stakeholders, with no agreed-upon vision. Here, the Committee could shift community thinking away from pre-established agendas by playing the role of a connector and facilitator. Through engagement, education and consultation, and the inclusion of a diverse array of voices, we can help lead stakeholders that currently feel self-focused and disparate into a state of collective thinking and shared vision.
3. Sustainable development that supports our environment
Sustainable growth and development has faced a range of issues, from a lack of clarity about best practice through to tension and a lack of trust among different members of the community. The Committee can reorient many of these conversations away from the current focus on negative outcomes (both to the economy and the environment) towards the benefits of adapting existing industries. This will, in turn, attract new industries and opportunities — but someone needs to start shifting the region’s mindset.
4. Planning for our housing future
Housing and its associated services are held up by reactive, not proactive planning, as well as a lack of incentives for innovative solutions, among other things. The Committee can help solve this crisis by identifying state and council owned land parcels suitable for infill development, and to engage with councils while advocating for structural reform of housing boundaries. The Committee needs to be brave, forward-thinking and help champion housing initiatives that have been proven to work in other regions.
Towards the end of the workshop, we also discussed what success looks like for the Committee for Greater Hobart, as well as how the Committee can have a great relationship with its Foundation Members.
In terms of success, the workshop members identified that the Committee must be impartial, brave
and focused on outputs. It needs to feel bold and active, while raising the level of debate in the region
and presenting a range of views. It must achieve results while remaining transparent. And it needs to be actively engaged with the Greater Hobart community — talking with them, not at them. If all of this is achieved, the Committee will become a trusted, independent advocate for the betterment of our region. The hearts and minds of the community will have been won over, and the Committee will be known as a powerful agent for change, always supported by evidence.
When it comes to how it can relate to its Foundation Members, the Committee should harness their skills, expertise and resources, both to enhance the Committee’s work and to advocate for the Committee among the community. The Committee should also hold periodic check-ins with the members, to ensure accountability for actions undertaken. Finally, the members flipped the question around, asking not what the Committee can do for them, but what they can do to support the Committee. There was a lot of expertise and intellectual resources in the room, and it was agreed that by working together transparently and utilising all our skills, we can maximise our results.
