My speech from tonight’s Candidate Forum

[Text of my speech at the Save UTAS candidate forum, 22 September 2026. Check against delivery.]

Good evening everyone, my name is Ben Lohberger, I’m a current Hobart City Councillor, I’m an independent, and I’m standing for Councillor and for Deputy Mayor.

Like a lot of the other candidates I’ve been out doorknocking already, and the biggest issue this election is clearly behaviour. The behaviour of Councillors, and our ability to work together in the best interests of the city and the ratepayers. People want a Council that works better, together. 

I’ve spent this last term working together with my colleagues, where possible. I’ve lodged joint motions with a total of nine of them, the most of any Councillor. I haven’t made any code of conduct complaints, and I haven’t received any from colleagues in return. I’ve brought a total of 16 motions to the Council table, and passed 14 of them, a success rate over 85%. And I’ve attended all but one of the full Council meetings, the equal highest attendance of any Councillor. 

I also believe integrity is important and I refuse to take gifts and donations as a result. I’m the only Councillor this term who doesn’t appear on the Council’s 27-page Gifts and Donation Register, which you can find on the council website. It’s a lengthy database, and worth a look for those who are interested. 

My proudest moment during this term was bringing a successful joint motion for the Council to trial a new, extra homeless shelter in Hobart during extreme weather events. This temporary shelter supplements the existing Safe Space homeless shelter when the weather turns deadly, which is when those extra beds are needed most. It’s been used once already this winter, and I suspect it will be activated again during heatwaves this summer. 

It’s no secret that I’ve been a big supporter of shared community spaces in South Hobart. I have tried repeatedly to find a compromise, and I still think it is possible so I will be bringing the issue of shared space in South Hobart back to Council if I’m re-elected. 

I kickstarted the Halls Saddle visitor hub proposal with two successful joint motions this term. The proposal has now received Federal Government funding to get it shovel-ready, and there is significant commercial interest. This site is a key part of any solution to the congestion issues on the mountain, and it also offers potential as a mountain bushfire refuge.

I am not a supporter of the cable car. It’s an unviable white elephant that relies on free access to priceless areas of public land, which I will never support.

I do support the Battery Point walkway, and would dearly love to know why the Liberal Government is unwilling to revoke private licences that are preventing access over public land? There is a clear public benefit in building this walkway, which should always override private use of public land.

When it comes to UTAS, this Council has certainly changed its position since the last election. But we were too effective, and were bypassed when the Liberal Government broke its 2024 election promise and pushed legislation through parliament to allow parts of the Sandy Bay campus to be rezoned and sold off.

The whole thing was a disgrace, but I won’t be changing my position on the value of that campus, unlike the Liberal Party.

I’m opposed to the stadium, and I will fight the government’s inevitable attempts to shift stadium costs onto Hobart ratepayers. We should not have to subsidise this government’s incompetence.

And finally, responsible budget management. Despite the criticism from some candidates, this Council has paid down 15 million dollars in loans, about one-third of the debt we inherited. And our last two rate rises were below CPI and among the lowest in the state. I for one intend to continue working to pay down debt and to keep rate rises low during the next term.

That’s it! Thank you everyone for listening, and thanks especially to the Save UTAS committee for organising this event.

My Priorities.

Integrity.

I don’t believe politicians should accept gifts and donations while representing their community. It sends a terrible message to ratepayers and it undermines good governance.

I have refused all gifts and donations offered to me this term, including free tickets to events such as the Taste and Dark Mofo, free passes to the aquatic centre, and direct donations from supporters.

The Hobart City Council keeps a register of all donations and gifts accepted by Councillors. It’s a 27-page spreadsheet with around 1500 entries, available here. I am the only Councillor who doesn’t appear on this register.

I also believe in climate change and have refused to claim the overly generous 1500-litre per year fuel allowance offered by the Council. Community leaders should not be encouraging excessive fuel use during this time of runaway climate change.

In 2023 I moved a successful motion that limited flights by Councillors and staff. The motion also effectively ceased overseas ‘Sister City’ visits by Hobart City Councillors.

I tried to remove the parking meter exemption given to all Councillors. The exemption is unnecessary because Councillors already have a free parking space at the Town Hall. It is also unfair for Councillors to avoid the parking meters that we impose on everyone else.

The 2023 vote on parking meter exemption was tied 5-5 and lost.

In 2026 I tried again to remove this parking meter exemption, but the vote was lost 8-4.

I will not let this go. If re-elected I will again move to axe this unfair and unnecessary parking meter exemption.

I will also be campaigning to remove alcohol from the Elected Members’ Lounge, following revelations that supplies were being removed from the Town Hall.

I have worked hard to cooperate with other Councillors, and have lodged joint motions with a total of nine other Councillors – the most of any Councillor during this term.

These were all important issues that we progressed through working together, and I will continue to work cooperatively on shared issues with Councillors from both sides of table.

The joint motions were:

  • 2024
  • Catchment Management – with Cr Kelly
  • Halls Saddle Open Day – with Cr Sherlock
  • Red Light Enforcement – with Cr Posselt
  • Refurbish STEM on UTAS campus – with Cr Coats
  • 2025
  • Halls Saddle Master Planning – with Lord Mayor Reynolds
  • Oppose UTAS Rezoning – with Ald Bloomfield
  • 2026
  • Extreme Weather Protocol – with Cr Dutta
  • Rates Increase for Whole Home Short Stay – with Cr Posselt
  • Polluter Pays and Protecting Ratepayers – with Deputy Lord Mayor Sherlock, Lord Mayor Reynolds, Cr Dutta, Cr Posselt, Cr Kitsos, and Cr Harvey (Cr Harvey left the meeting prior to the motion)

My opinion about this issue changed significantly after seeing photos taken from CCTV, which showed the Deputy Mayor removing large quantities of complimentary items from the Town Hall, after hours.

I’m aware of concern in the community about this issue, and I share that concern.

I believe the Deputy Mayor should resign as deputy and allow the voters to decide this at the election.

The Council has now referred this matter onto the appropriate authorities. I await their decision with interest.

Community.

In 2023 I brought an emergency motion to the Council in response to the flood event at McRobies Gully tip that washed thousands of pieces of plastic into the Hobart Rivulet.

At the same Council meeting, a local school teacher told us that children had been asking to remove the rubbish from the Rivulet while it was still in flood, out of concern for the much-loved platypus population.

The motion sparked a Council investigation into possible solutions, and led to the construction of a $600,000 gross pollutant trap between the tip and the Rivulet, to intercept future floods and filter out plastic rubbish and debris.

I owe thanks to Platypus Guardian Pete Walsh for his time and his advice in the lead-up to this very successful motion, and also to Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds for her help.

In January this year I moved a successful motion to open an extra homeless shelter in Hobart when the weather becomes dangerous.

The Extreme Weather Protocol is now in place as a two-year trial, and the Council will now open up Mathers House during extreme weather.

This extra shelter is an overflow for the existing Safe Space homeless shelter, to help it cope with extra demand when it’s needed most.

This is an important trial, and is much needed given the growing regularity of severe weather events in Hobart. It is bad enough living in a house during severe storms or heatwaves, but trying to survive outdoors in those conditions is impossible.

I’m extremely proud of this motion, which came directly from my work with the Council’s Housing With Dignity Reference Group.

I am a strong supporter of shared use when it comes to community facilities like the South Hobart Recreation Ground.

I have tried my hardest to help the local community keep full access to the ground, and when that was lost I tried to find a compromise. I am very sorry both efforts failed, and I worry about the ongoing community division that now exists in South Hobart.

I firmly believe the dog walking community is ready and able to compromise, and to help the soccer club keep the space clean for soccer. I saw it myself in winter 2025 when I joined other community members in patrolling and cleaning the playing field prior to soccer taking over. It can be done.

I will continue campaigning for shared use on the Recreation Ground, and will bring this issue back to Council if I’m re-elected.

I’ve always supported a Tasmanian AFL team, but I cannot support an unnecessary and ruinously expensive stadium while people in Hobart are living on the street.

Now that the stadium has passed parliament, it’s clear the state government will continue trying to shift stadium-related costs onto ratepayers, especially for the pedestrian instructure needed to move 20,000+ people in and out of the stadium on game days.

I will continue to resist this inevitable cost-shifting by the state government. Our ratepayers should not have to subsidise this government’s incompetence.

Hard Work.

I have attended 44 of 45 full Council meetings in this term, the equal highest attendance of any Councillor (together with Cr Dutta).

I’ve also represented ratepayers on multiple Council committees and external representative bodies, including:

  • Wellington Park Management Trust
  • TasWater Owners’ Representative Group
  • Housing With Dignity Reference Group
  • HCC Water Committee
  • HCC Climate, Sustainability, and Biodiversity Committee
  • HCC Hobart Workshop Committee
  • HCC Planning Authority Committee

I’ve brought on 14 successful motions during this term, with a pass rate of more than 85 per cent. I believe in working cooperatively where possible, and have brought on joint motions with nine of my colleagues, more than any other Councillor.

Read more about my motions here.

I’ve worked hard over a number of years, on both the Council and the Wellington Park Trust, to get the Halls Saddle Visitor Hub back on track after it was sidelined by the cable car debate.

Halls Saddle is the only possible site for a mountain visitor hub, and it is desperately needed to manage the huge increase in visitor numbers on Kunanyi/Mt Wellington.

The site has water and power available, the geotech work is good, there is significant interest from the business community, and the federal government has kicked in $3.2 million to get the proposal shovel ready.

I believe the proposed visitor hub also has potential as a community bushfire refuge.

The initial planning for the visitor hub looks fantastic, and I will continue working to ensure this necessary infrastructure is built.

A map and visitor hub renders are here.

The extreme saturation of whole home short stay accommodation (WHSSA) in Hobart is damaging our city, and I have tried hard to push back on behalf of the community.

The loss of hundreds of entire homes is clearly contributing to the housing crisis. It’s also reducing community amenity as more and more neighbours are lost, and it is artificially inflating rents and house prices in Hobart.

I was a strong supporter of the Council doubling rates for WHSSA properties in 2023. The Council also increased the application rate for WHSSA by 1100 per cent this year, and we are applying to change the planning scheme so that Councils can refuse WHSSA applications, something not currently possible.

I also brought on a joint motion this year to double rates again for WHSSA, but was unsuccessful after Greens Councillor Bill Harvey inexplicably refused to support the motion. He also voted down an attempted amendment that would have raised WHSSA rates to the same rate as hotels, again inexplicably.

I will continue working on behalf of the community on this issue.

Following the resounding 74 per cent rejection of the UTAS city move in the 2022 elector poll, I’ve backed three separate motions on the issue. These called on UTAS to reconsider the city move and attend mediation, directed Council to advocate for a STEM upgrade on the Sandy Bay campus (not in the city), and called on the Legislative Council to oppose the state government’s Bill to sideline the Council and allow UTAS to rezone and sell off significant sections of the campus.

That legislation has sadly now passed the parliament. It’s a clear betrayal by a Liberal Government that made an election promise in 2024 to ‘save’ the campus.

I also did a lot of work on planning issues related to the forestry building in Hobart, with the assistance of the late Peter Bicevskis, an expert on campus architecture and a great person. I really miss his presence.

We were unable to stop the approval of that building, despite what I felt was compelling evidence from Peter.

I will continue to campaign for UTAS to refocus on the Sandy Bay campus, which needs refurbishment NOT rebuilding.

A true independent who works for the community.