Macquarie Point is one of the most attractive, centrally located capital city development sites in the entire country. By taking full advantage of the site’s potential we can unlock millions of dollars of investment, create hundreds of jobs and deliver a hub that will serve the community for generations to come.
The site is now transitioning from the remediation phase to the investment and development phase and the legislation that we will introduce into Parliament next month will outline a clear plan for the development of the site that is faithful to the Mona vision and will help unlock the site’s massive potential.
But clearly the biggest challenge we face is the waste water treatment plant. There are no silver bullets and no easy fixes to this issue.
Instead, we have been working hard with TasWater to develop a solution. The preliminary talks have been extremely positive and we believe that working with TasWater we will have a final plan for decommissioning the waste water treatment plant as soon as possible.
I have written to TasWater regarding this project and a number of other major projects and that letter has been circulated to councils in the interests of transparency and full disclosure ahead of the council vote later this month.
The State Government is prepared to make additional funding available to assist TasWater to decommission and relocate the Macquarie Point wastewater treatment plant subject to a funding model being developed that is acceptable to TasWater, its local Government owners and the State. The State’s contribution would be in addition to the $200 million equity contribution set out in the MoU.
Furthermore together with TasWater we are of the view that subject to the funding plan being agreed, the plant would be removed within around four years allowing the MacPoint site to be developed fully without this inhibiting factor.
Moving the waste water treatment plant will clear the way for Macquarie Point to reach its full potential, unlock massive investments into the State, create jobs and deliver a nationally unique site for the community.