The Tasmanian Government has welcomed the University of Tasmania’s vision for a $500 million STEM campus at Sandy Bay.
Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy, Madeleine Ogilvie said Tasmanians deserved access to the most contemporary STEM facilities.
“With this future direction announcement, Tasmanians can be assured our Government will support UTAS in their endeavours to make a STEM-led future at UTAS Sandy Bay a reality,” said Minister Ogilvie.
The plan, which the University says is contingent on securing “significant Government funding”, is for a Hobart campus with four key sites each providing students with experiences built around the best the city has to offer.
These sites would be a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Campus at Sandy Bay; a City Campus encompassing existing facilities and a fully occupied Forestry Building; a Historic Campus on the Domain, the University’s original home; and a Waterfront Campus comprising the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at Salamanca and Taroona.
The University says its next major steps are to:
- Work with the Tasmanian and Australian Governments to develop a plan to fund new STEM facilities at Sandy Bay, which would involve complete retrofits of some existing buildings, the construction of some new buildings, and the enhancement of the natural landscape of the campus;
- Locate, from Semester 1, 2026, the Schools of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Tasmanian School of Business and Economics in the Forestry Building;
- Sell the former K&D site and the corner property encompassing 33 to 37 Bathurst Street and 65 Argyle Street, which are now surplus to requirements;
- Engage with the Tasmanian Government about the future of the land above Churchill Avenue and seek support from the Parliament to ensure it is unencumbered so it can be developed to provide a funding contribution to new STEM facilities.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Rufus Black said the University had been investing in fit-for-purpose campuses around the island for over a decade, so students and staff had access to education and research facilities needed for Tasmania’s future.
“Our top priority now is contemporary STEM facilities in the South. These facilities are urgently needed for students and staff, for the future of STEM education in Tasmania, and for our state’s ability to meet workforce needs,” Professor Black said.
“Developing a specialised campus at Sandy Bay provides opportunities to create a STEM precinct that enables other education providers and industry to co-locate and collaborate. We have to work together to inspire future scientists and teach the skills and create the knowledge that will support a better future for Tasmania.
“The new STEM facilities that Tasmania needs will cost in the order of $500 million and we will require support from all levels of government, as we saw in Burnie and Launceston,” Professor Black said.
Minister Ogilvie said she had been working closely with stakeholders to support the University’s important vision for STEM renewal at Sandy Bay.
“I am certain there will be broad support for this announcement,” she said.
“We understand that our important science and ICT sectors offer great potential for economic growth, together with global work opportunities, and that ICT leadership is essential to bridge the digital divide for all Tasmanians. I believe this is what the STEM future at UTAS Sandy Bay will help to achieve.
“We intend to strongly advocate to the Commonwealth to invest in Tasmanian’s STEM-led future.
“What message does it send to Tasmanians if the Commonwealth is unwilling to invest in this vital sector? We will be moving our bill through the House of Assembly in the coming parliamentary sitting.”
