NEW NEW NEW

We said goodbye to Cibo E Vino in Battery Point recently and hello to Perch (45 Hampden Road, Battery Point). Serving brunch and coffee in the morning and transforming into a wine bar by night. The Picnic Basket Cafe (176 Channel Hwy, Taroo­na) has reopened with new owners and a fresh new look. There’s word of extended trading hours too, which will be music to the ears of Taroona locals and beachgoers. Shippies is back. After pretty schmick glow up, The Shipwrights Arms (29 Trumpeter St, Battery Point) is serving classic pub food in a fancy new space. In a first for Tasmania, Osaki Japanese (2/285 Elizabeth Street, North Hobart) is an all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurant in North Hobart. Chip away at endless plates of sashimi, chicken karaage and noodles for under $40 a head. Lauderdale has a new dining experience with Altitude Restaurant and Functions (Level 1/464 South Arm Road, Lauderdale) offering a space with a focus on seafood and fresh Tasmanian produce. Argyle Street has a new kid on the block with Lazy Brunch Hobart (279 Argyle Street, Hobart) opening seven days a week from 6am, next to Co-Op Toyota. Butter Cosmetic and Skin Clinic (293 Macquarie Street, Hobart) opened recently, pop in for a very serene, all things skin and cosmetic treatments experience. After Eight (66 Murray Street, Hobart) have launched their sustainable luxury fashion brand Romy, reportedly Tasmania’s first luxury label. For now, Romy is exclusively available at their city store. Gorman lovers of Hobart will have probably already spotted the bright windows of a new Gorman Outlet (71 Mur­ray Street, Hobart), just up the road from their regular store. The closing of Floral Criteria left a flower sized hole in our heart, so we are pleased to see Concept on Criterion Street (9 Criterion Street, Hobart) filling it up! Head their way for all kinds of street apparel, shoes, books and vinyls.

FREE TAFE AND VET PLACES ON THEIR WAY…BUT WILL THERE BE ANY TEACHERS?

A new federal and state government deal is set to inject $23 million into the Tasmanian skills and training sector, with a plan to support around 3,800 fee-free TAFE and VET places for next year. This had us clapping one moment then wondering where on earth the much-needed teaching staff will materialise from the next. In November, Tasmanian Labor said the Liberal government had ‘failed’ to fix the TAFE teacher shortage issue, stating that they’d provided only 12 out of a promised 100 new teachers over four years. The new plan includes 1,000 free TAFE places offered in the care sector including 850 in aged care, then a further 450 in hospitality and tourism, 350 in agriculture, 250 in technology and digital, 200 in construction, 150 in sovereign capability, and around 1,400 in other priority sectors including foundation skills. Sounds brilliant…but will there be enough teachers to teach?

HCC COUNCILLORS’ INTERESTS TO BE EXPOSED

Hobart City Council’s elected members may soon have their registrable interests listed on a compulsory public register. Newly elected Councillor Ryan Posselt moved a motion calling for a report to be written on the establishment of such a register at last month’s council meeting. The registrable interests would include shareholdings, business trusts, real estate, company directorships, sponsored hospitality and travel and memberships of any community and sporting organisations. A motion moved by Cr Posselt calling for a report to investigate a register of Elected Members’ communication with property developers on a monthly basis was also passed. Can’t wait to read that list!

AN AVENUE OF ELMS TO HONOUR THE QUEEN

An avenue of elm trees has been completed along Queens Walk Oval in New Town to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. The recently planted elms restore a lost avenue of trees planted over a century ago, to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

THE COTTAGE SCHOOL WINS BIG!

The Cottage School in Bellerive recently won equal first in national film competi­tion, The Bell Shakespeare Shorts Festival with their film, What News? This was their first time entering the competition, and were the only Tasmanian school to be shortlisted, winning the ‘Top Primary Film’ and ‘Excellence in Performance’ categories across both primary and sec­ondary school admissions.

The Bell Shakespeare Shorts Festival invites participants from both primary and secondary grades to enter a short film in­spired by the works of Shakespeare. The Cottage School year five and six students created a comical script incorporating many references to the play Macbeth. Student Remi Inches said her fellow students were really excited to have won. “We didn’t expect to, but we all love doing drama and performance at school.” Kath Windfeld-Petersen, a teacher at the school, commended the students for embracing the complexity of Shakespear­ean language while Joanna Erskine, Head of Education at Bell Shakespeare said the students’ passion and enthusiasm bursted out of the screen! Head online at the Bell Shakespeare website to view the winning film.

NEW HOBART PROPERTY RANKINGS RELEASED

Hobart has ranked 11 out of 14 in a recent Australian property market report – rising two places since last year’s report. Can­star’s Rising Stars annual report noted that Hobart has been at the forefront of price growth in Australia for the past five years and had previously been the cheap­est capital city market but our homes now cost more than those in Adelaide, Perth and Darwin and are not far below Brisbane or Melbourne. The report ranks 14 Australian jurisdictions – eight capital cities and six regional states and territo­ries – based on sales volumes, quarterly price growth, vacancy rates, rental growth and infrastructure spending. Overall, Adelaide came first, Brisbane second and Perth third. The report also named the top five suburbs to invest in in Hobart as Glenorchy, Howrah, Lindisfarne, Moonah and Risdon Vale, saying, “While the Hobart market peaked some time ago, the northern suburb of Glenorchy is one where sales activity continues to rise. Houses remain relatively affordable (the median price is $600,000) despite strong growth of close to 10% a year over a de­cade. Vacancies are near zero. Glenorchy has the second largest shopping district in Tasmania, after the Hobart CBD.”

GET INVOLVED WITH SPORTS EQUIPMENT RECYCLING

Game On Recycling is a pilot program looking to create a national recycling scheme for sports equipment. Large vol­umes of sporting equipment are used each year in Australia, including an estimated 10 million tennis balls, two million bas­ketballs and many more items. Many of these items find their way into landfill.

Game On Recycling are establishing col­lection sites across Australia to collect old and unwanted sporting equipment. Items collected will be sent to Australia New Zealand Recycling Platform’s (ANZRP) processing facilities in Melbourne to be sorted and separated into items that can be reused and put back into circulation, or items that need to be recycled.

Re-use items will be made available to various community clubs, groups, institu­tions and organisations. Items destined for recycling will be granulated and manufac­tured into a variety of products including soft fall matting. Organisations that register to become collection point will receive a collection unit and cardboard boxes. Each cardboard box comes with a prepaid Australia Post Label allowing for free shipping to the recycling facility. For more information, or to register a Hobart club as a collection site visit www.game­onrecycling.com.au.

CAMPFIRE RESTRICTIONS IN TASSIE NATIONAL PARKS AND RESERVES THIS SUMMER

Campfires are one of the best things about camping, but not if they get out of hand. The Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) has introduced campfire restrictions across a number of national parks and reserves this summer until further notice. These measures will help protect Tasmania’s significant reserve estate, along with ensuring visitor and community safety. Although Tasma­nia has received steady rainfall over the past few months, the underlying vegetation conditions are dry with PWS crews attending a number of fires in recent weeks. The seasonal campfire restrictions apply to national parks and reserves in the following areas:

• Dorset, Break O’Day, Glamorgan/ Spring Bay, Sorell and Tasman municipalities
• Snaky Creek and Tooms Lake Conservation Areas
• Flinders, King and Maria Islands
• Narawntapu National Park.

Restrictions have also been imposed on the use of pot fires as sparks, embers and disposal of ash from pot fires can also provide an ignition source. Gas stoves and gas barbecues are still per­mitted. For more information, visit the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service website.

CHANGES TO FREE COVID TEST­ING FROM THIS MONTH

State-operated PCR testing clinics will close on 31 January, and RAT kits pro­vided by request or at Service Tasmania for concession card holders are also over from that date. The suggestion is to go to your GP for a PCR…if you can get an appointment that is.

HAVE YOUR SAY: WASTE AND RE­SOURCE RECOVERY

Got thoughts on the way our rubbish and recycling is done here in Tassie? The draft Tasmanian Waste and Re­source Recovery Strategy has just been released for public consultation, so you can have a say. The brand new Waste and Resource Recovery Board has set a vision for Tasmania to be a place where nothing is wasted. The Minister for En­vironment and Climate Change, Roger Jaensch, said the times are a-changin. “We are transitioning from a traditional approach of taking resources, making and using products, and discarding the waste, to a model where the use and value of materials during and after the life of a product is maximised,” Mr Jaensch said. “This shift will help Tasmania continue to build a circular economy approach into everything we do.” Feedback on the Draft Strategy closes 31 January 2023. For more infor­mation and to make a submission, visit wrr.tas.gov.au.

NATURE STRIPS STRIPPED BARE OR ADDED FLAIR?

Nature strips within the City of Ho­bart will soon be the responsibility of residents, rather than council. The end of the current maintenance cycle in late March will see the automatic maintenance (such as mowing) of residential nature strips finish up, bringing Hobart in line with other Tassie councils. As of the 20th of this January, you’ll no longer need to apply for permission to use and maintain your residential nature strips, so now’s the time to plan some clever and creative uses for them. Residents who are unable to care for their nature strips can apply to Hobart City Council for an ongoing maintenance service. If you’re working on a roadside glow up – send in your pics, we’d love to see your creative ideas.

HOBART UNI HOUSING LEASED TO REFUGEES OVER SUMMER

University accommodation sitting empty over the summer break has been provided to the Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania (MRC) to use as short-term accommoda­tion for new Tasmanians with a refugee background. Starting in December, MRC Tas leased unoccupied university student accommodation in Hobart and Launces­ton to house new arrivals in the Australian Government’s Humanitarian Settlement Program. With the average vacancy rate for private rental housing in Tasmania sitting at less than 1% throughout 2022, it has been increasingly difficult for Tasmanians to find affordable housing, particularly with the additional barriers of language differences, cultural differences and potential trauma that can come with a refugee experience. “Despite a chronic shortage of rental properties in Tasmania, this innovative joint initiative means that people fleeing war and other crises will have access to otherwise unoccupied short-term accommodation,” said MRC Tas CEO Gillian Long.

RESEARCH INTO REVERSING TAS GAY BLOOD DONATION BAN

Red Cross Lifeblood are conducting re­search into replacing their blanket ban on gay blood donation with individual risk assessments. Currently, gay men, bisexual men, trans women and some nonbinary people who have sex with men are all excluded from donating blood unless they abstain from sex for three months. Tasmania’s Rodney Croome, spokesper­son for newly formed Let Us Give group, said it was a step in the right direction. “In every country that has dropped the gay blood ban and adopted individual risk assessment instead, including the UK and Canada, a review was the first step,” he said. “We will increase our campaigning to ensure Lifeblood has access to the latest medical evidence from countries that have reformed their policies and to ensure it hears the voices of those who are currently and wrongly excluded from blood donation.” Tasmanian Federal Liberal Bridget Archer raised the issue in Parliament on 8 November. Lifeblood has said it will also pursue a “plasma pathway” to allow donation by men who have sex with men before to it moves on to individual risk assessment.

HAPPY 40th TO TASSIE’S WORLD HERITAGE AREA

Happy birthday to the Tasmanian Wilder­ness World Heritage Area, which celebrat­ed 40 years last month. The Western Tas­manian Wilderness National Parks, as it was first known, was added to the World Heritage List on December 14, 1982. In 1989, a boundary extension increased the original area of 770,000 hectares to 1.34 million hectares and also added the Walls of Jerusalem National Park. The parks were also renamed Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) then.

The World Heritage Area now covers about 1.59 million hectares, which is almost a quarter of Tasmania (23%)! It’s one of the world’s largest and most spectacular temperate wilderness areas, and is one of only two world heritage areas globally to meet seven out of 10 of UNESCO’s World Heritage criteria.

IS  IT TIME TO DITCH BIG INVESTMENT IN AFL?

The Tasmanian Liberal Government has committed to spend $375 million toward building a stadium in which to play AFL games. There will be talk of other codes and events being hosted in the space but the driver for the current iteration of the stadium is AFL. The AFL has stayed firm that the bid for a team hinges on the stadium. But what if the polls and the pub tests are true – what if the majority of Tasmanians don’t actually want to spend hard earned tax dollars on a new stadium at Mac Point? It’s obvious to draw a conclusion that that money should be spent on bolstering the health and education systems but could we be fostering growth in other sports. Is AFL actually the sport that kids today and in the future want to play?

According to the Australian Government’s Ausplay statistics released in November 2022, soccer is already Tasmania’s most played team sport, with an estimated 6.6% of the state’s population taking part in the World Game. When it comes to young people, this popularity skyrockets, with 23.2% of Tasmanians aged between 5-18 participating in soccer. Nationally 14% of children partici­pate in soccer, the only more popular organised sport being swimming (36%) and below that, gymnastics at 11%. Soccer consistently ranked above AFL in participation rates in the 0-14 age group – in cities, rural and regional, and language other than English participants.

Football Tasmania CEO Matt Bulkeley said he expected playing figures would rise even further after the Socceroos captivated the nation with their successful progression out of the tour­nament’s group stage. “The Socceroos have really grabbed the attention of the entire nation this World Cup with their heroic performances showing why football is the world’s, Australia’s and Tasmania’s most loved sport. It’s been even better viewing than normal for Tasmanians, with our state’s fans having the added bonus of being able to cheer on a local for the first time, with Nathaniel Atkinson part of the squad.”

During the World Cup, the Australian Socceroos coach Graham Arnold said in an interview that the Socceroos needed a new home base. Does oppor­tunity knock? Sadly, Tassie recently lost out as a potential training base for the upcoming womens’ World Cup next year – a lost opportunity for Tasmanian kids to watch the world’s best in action, even if it’s just witness­ing their training camps. The brain cogs started turning…with so many more kids playing soccer and increas­ing interest in soccer as a spectator sport, is it time to question whether some of the AFL stadium funds could be redirected to soccer infrastructure and development?

ARE YOU A CARER? HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO SPEAK UP

Do you provide care and support for a family member or friend with disability, mental ill health, a chronic or life-limiting condition, alcohol or other drug depen­dence, who is frail and aged, or is a child and you are their informal kinship carer? If so, you’re invited to express interest in becoming a member of the Minister’s Carer Advisory Council. The closing date for expressions of interest is 31 January 2023. Head to dpac.tas.gov.au for more.

GET READY FOR YOUTH WEEK 2023

Got an awesome idea for celebrating Youth Week 2023? Grants are available now to help make it happen. Youth Week 2023 will have a strong focus on accep­tance and will promote young Tasmanians to “Be Bold. Be You” and will recog­nise the value of all young Tasmanians aged 12 to 25. Grants of up to $2000 are available to support Youth Week events or activities in Tasmania in the first week of May. The grants program supports local government, community organisations and schools in Tasmania to develop and deliver innovative events and activi­ties during Youth Week. Applications will close on February 23, so for more information contact Community Grants at grants@dpac.tas.gov.au or 1800 204 224.

CITYPILOTS PROJECT UNVEILED

If you’ve ridden along the Moonah cycle-way recently, you would have noticed some bright new additions to the pavement. Artist Tom O’Hern’s piece, Foreverever (2021) is one of eight tempo­rary art installations across Hobart as part of the CityPILOTS project – an opportu­nity for artists to explore and experiment in the spaces of Hobart to intrigue, delight and challenge city users. Foreverever is a scale replica of the solar system running along the bike track, beginning at the Regatta Grounds with the sun, and ending with Pluto towards the North. Under each plant lies a small dot, showing relative size and distance between each at a scale of 1:1.5 billion. Other pieces in the project include David Campell’s Future Memorial, 2045 featuring ten memorial plaques commemorating events from a possible near-future pasted around the city and Matt Daniels’ MID-TOWN-CLOCK, a new take on the idea of a civic clock informing passerbys while reflecting the local environment. CityPILOTS project is a federally funded project, aiming to help artists in Hobart to obtain future commis­sions. Be sure to hop on your bike soon and keep an eye out around town for more current and future installations!

LOCAL WRITERS WIN BIG

The Tasmanian Literary Awards – former­ly known as the Premier’s Literary Prizes – have been announced for the first time since 2019. Congratulations to all the winners, including Amanda Lohrey, who won The Premier’s Prize for Fiction for The Labyrinth; Lian Tanner, who won the Young Readers and Children category with Ella and the Ocean; and previous cover star of this magazine, Stephanie Jack, who received the Margaret Scott Tasmanian Young Writers Fellowship. For the full list of winners, shortlists, longlists and judges’ comments, head to www.arts.tas.gov.au/tasliteraryawards/home.

TRAVELLING THIS SUMMER? KEEP YOUR EYES (NOT BANANAS) PEELED

As we enjoy the holiday season, Bi­osecurity Tasmania are encouraging Tasmanians who travel to stay mindful of biosecurity risks to our state. With the detection of foot-and-mouth disease in Bali and the ongoing risk of lumpy skin disease across Indonesia, Tasmanians returning from Indonesia are asked to still be careful. Biosecurity Tasmania Director of Biosecurity Operations Ryan Wilkin­son said foot-and-mouth disease could live for long periods on clothing, shoes and equipment, making it extremely im­portant they were cleaned before return­ing to Australia and Tasmania. Before you begin your journey home from Indonesia make sure you are not carrying any meat or dairy products and clean your clothing, shoes and equipment thoroughly. “You can further protect our State once you’re home by cleaning your clothing thorough­ly again and avoiding any contact with livestock for a period of seven days,” Mr Wilkinson said. As always, if you are travelling to Tasmania from interstate, or are expecting visitors from the mainland, don’t bring in items such as fresh fruits and vegetables, some animals and animal products, fish products, or plant and plant materials. “If you are carrying these items please dispose or declare them on your arrival.” For those people staying in our home state over summer, please dispose of your food and leftovers responsibly and report anything unusual (like larvae in fruit) immediately to Biosecurity Tas­mania. For more information visit www.nre.tas.gov.au/travellersguide.

YOUTH ADVISORY PANEL SEEKING ENTHUSIASTIC NEW MEMBERS

Are you a young person who would like to have more say on issues that are important to them? Perhaps you’d like the chance to advise the government directly! If so, consider applying to join the Pre­mier’s Youth Advisory Panel. You must live in Tasmania and be aged 12-24.

The Council is made up of young people from diverse backgrounds, ages and communities and gives the Government the chance to meet young people face-to-face and hear their concerns and ideas. Applications close on 22 January. 13 new members will be chosen, ready for the first meeting of 2023 in either March or April. To find out more, or to apply, visit the Premier’s Youth Advisory Council webpage www.dpac.tas.gov.au/pyac.

Marcia Hines quickly became pop royalty when she moved to Australia at a spritely 16 years old. She became the unspoken favourite judge on Australian Idol during its heyday. Marcia is back in Hobart, belting out disco anthems against a scintillating stage of acro­batics, aerialism and circus acts in her latest show Velvet Rewired.

Welcome back to Tasmania and thank you for bringing disco back to town!

Thank you so much, firstly it’s so won­derful to be bringing a show like Velvet Rewired to Tasmania. Many touring companies don’t include Tasmania in their tour schedule and I don’t know why because it’s such a wonderful place. Velvet Rewired is an explosion of disco atmosphere and fun! People can expect stunning costumes, talented aerial acts, wonderful dancing, music that you know and love and fantastic performances by a highly talented cast!

Your career spans decades – many would remember your time as a judge on Australian Idol. After a varied and jam-packed career in the performing arts from a young age, do you have any advice for young performers making their way? My time as a judge on Australian Idol was very interesting and sometimes very confronting too, but I’ve been very lucky to be invited back as a guest judge for the new season. In terms of providing advice to young performers…I’m not sure they really listen to me anyway!! My advice to young performers is that they have to find their own way, explore lots of options and follow their own hearts.

You’ve been to Hobart before. What do you love about it? While I love so many things about Hobart, like the waterfront, the mountain views, the cute cafes, what I really love the most are the people. The people in Hobart are so friendly and welcoming, they make me feel so happy to be here and I’ve always found that Hobart audi­ences are so appreciative and love to have a good time.

Hobart is the halfway point for your 22/23 tour, what are you looking forward to doing here?

I’ll be there for around three or so weeks and I’m looking forward to getting to know Hobart is better as I’ll have time to spend wandering around and exploring. But I’m also planning to travel up the highway to Launceston and to enjoy a homemade pie or pastie on the way up!

Catch Velvet Rewired at Theatre Royal from 24-30 March, 2023.

ON YA BIKE: NEW TASSIE WEBSITE TO COMBAT BIKE THEFT

Bike-riders around Tasmania will be doing wheelies to know there is more help out there if their bike gets nicked. A new website, Bikelinc was first established in Western Australia in 2019, joined by the ACT in 2020 and is now available for Tasmanians to log a bicycle in the unfortunate event of being stolen, or when preparing to buy a second hand bike. You can create a bike profile complete with pictures and serial numbers. Police will be able to directly access profiles should they come across a stolen bike, while buyers of second-hand bikes can search serial numbers to check they are purchasing from a legitimate owner. Spokesperson for Bicycle Network, (they’re Tassie’s key biking advocates), Alison Hetherington welcomed the registration website, “Bikes aren’t just another possession, for many riders their bike is a source of joy: it’s what provides their fun on the weekend or is their main means of transport. While bike theft may be seen as a low-value crime, it means a lot to bike owners to know police are taking their loss serious­ly.” she said. Bike riders are encouraged to upload any types of customisation such as saddles or handlebars that might help differentiate their bike from others. Approximately more than half of the Tasmanian households surveyed in the 2021 National Cycling Survey owned one or more bicycles. “It’s important bike owners understand the risk of theft by using a lock that is difficult to cut, en­suring garages are secure, and recording their bike’s details in case it’s stolen,” Ms Hetherington said.