Labor stands for safe, secure well-paid jobs and having a university which is able to set our future generations up for employment opportunities of the future is critically important.

We’ve said all along that it should be up to the university to make its own decisions and we back their decision today.

UTAS has made it clearer than ever that the Liberals need to abandon their restrictive legislation which stands in the way of new STEM facilities and risks more young Tasmanians leaving the state.

It’s vital they are able to sell or lease their land to be able to fund the new STEM facility, so why on earth would a government stop them?

Unfortunately, Jeremy Rockliff’s broken budget will significantly impact what the Government can contribute to the build – which only adds to the importance of the Liberals getting out of the way when it comes to the future of the University’s land above Churchill Avenue.

The Government and Save UTAS need to stop talking the University down.  More young Tasmanians are leaving because all they hear about the University is that it’s bad.

It’s one of the best universities in the country – and with ambitious plans to improve their facilities and offering to students – we need to get behind it, not hold it back.

Dean Winter MP
Labor Leader

Sarah Lovell MLC
Shadow Minister for Education