SPEECH NOTES FOR THE PRIME MINISTER, MR E. G. WHITLAM, M. P.,
FOR THE HOBART CIVIC RECEPTION, 15 FEBRUARY 1975
1. IN 1803 LIEUTENANT JOHN BOWEN MADE THE FIRST
EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT IN TASMANIA AT RiSDON ON. THE
EASTERN SHORE OF THE DERWENT. THE SETTLEMENT
WAS NAMED HOBART AFTER LORD HOBART THEN BRITISH
COLONIAL SECRETARY. THE SITE WAS LATER FOUND
TO BE UNSUITABLE.
2. IN FEBRUARY 1804 19 FEBRUARY, 171 YEARS AGOLIEUTENANT
GOVERNOR DAVID COLLINS SELECTED A
SPOT FIVE MILES FARTHER DOWNSTREAM AT SULLIVAN
COVE AND TOOK POSSESSION FOR THE SETTLEMENT
PROPER OF HOBART TOWN. THIS NAME REMAINED IN
OFFICIAL USE UNTIL 1881.
3. GOVERNOR MACQUARIE VISITED HOBART TOWN IN 1811
AND FOUND BUILDINGS ERECTED IN A VERY IRREGULAR
MANNER AND WITHOUT ANY PLAN WHATEVER. HE HAD
A PLAN DRAWN UP SHOWING A MAIN SQUARE AND
SEVEN STREETS AND HE FORMULATED REGULATIONS
FOR FUTURE BUILDING. ON. HIS SECOND VISIT IN
1821, MACQUARIE WAS IMPRESSED BY THE
IMPROVEMENT MADE.
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14. IN 1838 A POLICE ACT WAS PASSED WHICH WAS THE
GENESIS OF HOBART'IS MUNICIPAL HISTORY. UNDER IT
THE SURVEYOR GENERAL WAS AUTHORISED TO SET OUT
THE LIMITS OF THE TOWN; OTHER SECTIONS RELATED
TO SUCH MATTERS AS THE MARKING OUT OF FOOTPATHS
AND THE BREADTH OF CARRIAGE-WAYS.
IN 18142, HOBART WAS CREATED A CITY. FROM 1846
IT WAS GOVERNED BY COMMISSIONERS ( ELECTED BY
THE RATEPAYERS) WHO PROVIDED FOR LIGHTING,
CLEANING AND PAVING. THEIR POWERS WERE LIMITED,
AND IN 1852 AN ACT WAS PASSED ESTABLISHING A
MUNICIPALITY. IN 1857 HOBART WAS INCOPORATED
AS A CITY, AND ITS MOTTO SIC FORTIS HOBARTIA
CREVIT THUS IN STRENGTH DOES HOBART GROW.
6. THE FIRST MAYOR OF HOBART WAS WILLIAM CARTER IN
1853. THE PRESENT LORD MAYOR, ALDERMAN SOUNDY,
HAS HELD OFFICE SINCE 1970. HIS FATHER WAS,
IN 1932,. THE LAST PERSON TO BE CALLED MAYOR
OF HOBART. By 1938 AFTER A PERIOD OUTSIDE THE
TOWN HALL, HE HAD BECOME THE SECOND LORD MAYOR
OF HOBART. SIR JOHN SOUNDY SET A FINE CIVIC
RECORD FOR HIS SON TO FOLLOW. THE SOUNDY
FAMILY HAS MADE AN EXTRAORDINARY CONTRIBUTION
TO THE GOOD GOVERNMENT OF THE CITY OF HOBART. 3
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7. THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT'S CONCERN FOR THE WELFARE
OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. LAST YEAR
WE MADE GRANTS OF $ 56,345., 000 TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT
BODIES THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA. OF THAT SUM,
$ 1,669,000 CAME To TASMANIA. IT WAS THE FIRST
TIME IN AUSTRALIA'S HISTORY THAT AN AUSTR'ALIAN
GOVERNMENT HAD MADE DIRECT GRANTS TO LOCAL
GOVERNMENT.
8. MANY PEOPLE FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND
WHY NO GRANT WAS MADE AVAILABLE TO THE HOBART
CITY COUNCIL. THE GRANTS COMMISSION HAS GIVEN
A GREAT DEAL OF THOUGHT TO THE STATUS OF CAPITAL
CITY LOCAL GOVERNING BODIES, AND THE EVIDENCE
INDICATES THAT EACH OF THEM HAS A VERY
SUBSTANTIAL ABOVE-STANDARD CAPACITY TO RAISE
REVENUE. THE COMMISSION DECIDED TO RECOMMEND
THAT NO GRANTS BE MADE TO THE CAPITAL CITY
COUNCILS IN SYDNEY, MELBOURNE, ADELAIDE, PERTH
AND HOBART.
9. YOU WILL-ALL BE AWARE THAT A SPECIAL PREMIERS
CONFERENCE WAS HELD YESTERDAY IN CANBERRA.
WE RECOGNISE THE NEED FOR MORE. DIALOGUE BETWEEN
THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AND THE STATES AND ONLY
LAST WEEK I ANNOUNCED THE FORMATION OF A SPECIAL
COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS TO BE CONCERNED PRIMARILY
WITH THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT'S RELATIONS WITH
THE STATES. eie/ 4
THIS COMMITTEE WILL ALSO EXAMINE PROGRAMS OF DIRECT
ASSISTANCE TO REGIONS, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL
COMMUNITIES, YESTERDAY IN CANBERRA YOUR PREMIER, ERIC REECE,
AND I SIGNED AGREEMENTS BETWEEN OUR GOVERNMENTS
RELATING TO THE NATIONAL ESTATE AND NATIONAL
SEWERAGE PROGRAMS, THE TWO AGREEMENTS UNDER
THE URBAN AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ( FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE) ACT AMOUNT TO FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
OF MORE THAN $ 3 MILLION, TASMANIA'S GRANT OF
$ 895,277 FOR NATIONAL ESTATE PURPOSES WILL GO
TOWARDS THE PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS
AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONSERVATION STUDIES
AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS,
11. I AM DELIGHTED THAT $ 15,000 HAS BEEN ALLOCATED
FOR ASSISTANCE WITH MAINTENANCE AND RESTORATION
WORK ON THE THEATRE ROYAL THE OLDEST AND
SURELY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THEATRE IN AUSTRALIA,
I AM LOOKING FORWARD VERY MUCH TO THE ROYAL
SHAKESPEARE COMPANY'S PERFORMANCE THERE TONIGHT,
12. THE HOBART CITY COUNCIL IS TO RECEIVE $ 6,000
FOR A STUDY OF THE FUTURE USES OF SALAMANCA PLACE
AND ITS REMARKABLY PRESERVED HISTORIC STONE
WAREHOUSES. THE FACT THAT THE AREA NOW PULSES
WITH LIFE THROUGH ITS SATURDAY OPEN-AIR MARKET
AND ITS RESTAURANTS, THAT THE ARTS ARE
ENCOURAGED AND THAT TALENTED YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN ABLE TO TURN 63 SALAMANCA PLACE INTO A
FAVOURITE COMMUNAL RESOURCE CENTRE IS A
TRIBUTE TO THE IMAGINATION OF BOTH THE CITY
COUNCIL AND THE PEOPLE OF HOBART.
13, THE HOBART CITY COUNCIL HAS ALSO RECEIVED A
GRANT OF $ 175,000 THROUGH TOURISM AND RECREATION
FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SYNTHETIC ATHLETICS
TRACK. THIS IS IN ADDITION TO LAST YEAR'S
GRANT OF $ 60,000 FOR THE TRACK AND FIELD
CENTRE. IN VIEW OF MAX WALKER'S GREAT PERFORMANCE
ON THE MAINLAND IN THIS LAST TEST SERIES,
MAYBE SOME MORE INVESTMENT IN CRICKET PROMOTION
HERE WOULD BE MORE THAN JUSTIFIED.
14. LAST YEAR $ 300,000 WAS APPROVED UNDER THE CHILD
CARE ACT, BUT I UNDERSTAND THE COUNCIL HAS HAD
SOME DIFFICULTY IN FINDING A SUITABLE SITE FOR
BUILDING. I HOPE THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO SEE
THAT GRANT AT WORK FOR THE BENEFIT OF HOBART'S
YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE.
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I HAVE DELIBERATELY LEFT UNTIL LAST ANY MENTION
OF THE'TASMAN BRIDGE ACCIDENT AND ITS AFTERMATH,
You WILL BE AWARE OF MY OWN DEEP CONCERN AT THE
EXTRAORDINARY MISHAP, AND THAT THE AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENT PLEDGED FULL AND READY CO-OPERATION
IN RESTORING THE TASMAN BRIDGE ITSELF ANb
MAKING GOOD THE LOSS AND DISRUPTION SUFFERED BY
PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE DERWENT,
LEGISLATION WILL BE INTRODUCED SHORTLY PROBABLY
NEXT WEEK TO HONOUR FULLY AND PROMPTLY THE
UNDERTAKINGS WE HAVE GIVEN, UP TO $ 13 MILLION
WILL BE PROVIDED FOR WORKS NECESSARY TO RESTORE
THE BRIDGE ITSELF, AND TENDERS WILL SHORTLY
BE CALLED TO PROVIDE FOR THE CLEARING OF THE
WRECKAGE FROM THE VICINITY OF THE BRIDGE THUS
ALLOWING FURTHER EXAMINATION AND PLANNING FOR
RECONSTRUCTION TO BE CARRIED OUT, MR BARNARD
HAS APPROVED THE PROVISION, THROUGH THE ARMY,
OF SUFFICIENT BAILEY BRIDGE MATERIAL TO ALLOW
CONSTRUCTION OF A TEMPORARY BRIDGE UPSTREAM
TO CARRY ESSENTIAL COMMERCIAL VEHICLES, AND
CONSIDERATION IS BEING GIVEN TO THE PROVISION OF
A PERMANENT SECOND BRIDGE,