[Greens-Media] Commonwealth must reject Direct Factory Outlet to
protect future of Hobart CBD after fire
O'Connor, Cassy (Sen C. Milne)
Cassy.O'Connor at aph.gov.au
Mon Sep 24 13:41:07 EST 2007
MEDIA RELEASE
Commonwealth must reject Direct Factory Outlet to protect future of
Hobart CBD after fire
Hobart, 24 September 2007: In light of the devastating Myer store fire,
Federal Transport Minister, Mark Vaile, must reject a proposal to build
Australia's largest Direct Factory Outlet near Hobart Airport,
Australian Greens' Senator Christine Milne said today.
"The DFO was already set to cannibalise Hobart's CBD, now it will
constitute a disaster.
"It is wrong for the Premier and the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry to claim that the DFO and the economic health of the CBD are
unrelated. The Premier does himself no credit when it is clear that the
State Government has Hobart Airport up for sale and is seeking to
maximise its returns. What is now required is not salesmanship, but
statesmanship.
"There will be a significant number of CBD businesses sent close to the
wall after Saturday's blaze. City business owners, and staff, will be
devastated and wondering what the future holds. They deserve our
complete support.
"It will take months, even years, for the CBD to recover. Hobart now
needs a strategic plan and concerted action to rapidly rejuvenate the
city heart.
"What business owners in Hobart do not need right now, is the threat of
the all-consuming Direct Factory Outlet being built on Hobart's
outskirts. The only ethically sound decision the Federal Minister can
make at this stage is to reject the DFO proposal.
"Despite the repeated calls by myself and others, business owners -
indeed the Tasmanian people - have never seen the government's social
and economic impact study into the proposed DFO's establishment. It is
critical that Tasmanians now see what the previously projected impact of
the DFO was, because the situation is now decidedly worse.
"Out of crises come opportunities. Tasmanians always come together in
the face of a disaster. We now need collaborative action between all
levels of government, local businesses and the community to make sure
that jobs, businesses and a real sense of community are maintained,"
Senator Milne said.
Contact: Cassy O'Connor 6224 8899 or 0400 628 939
Cassy O'Connor
Communications' Adviser
Senator Christine Milne
First floor
Murray St Pier
Murray St, Hobart 7000
(ph) 03 6224 8899
(fax) 03 6224 7599
www.christinemilne.org.au
http://www.youtube.com/senatormilne
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