Agenda of Economic Development & Communications Committee Meeting

Item No. 6.1

Agenda (Open Portion)

Economic Development & Communications Committee Meeting

Page 7

21/3/2019

REPORT TITLE: International Relations - Potential Visits to Sister / Friendship Cities in the Current Term of Elected Members

REPORT PROVIDED BY: Economic Development Project Officer

Director Community Life

1. Report Purpose and Community Benefit

1.1. The purpose of this report is to highlight key events during the current term of the elected members that may warrant international travel to sister / friendship cities.

1.2. The community benefit of this report is that it sets out potential international travel, costs associated and the proposed benefits for Hobart.

2. Report Summary

2.1. The Economic Development and Communications Committee on 24 January 2019 resolved inter alia that:

A report be referred back to the Committee on the potential for a Council delegation to Fuzhou and Xi’an at the appropriate time.

2.2. This report is a response to the committee request, with the added consideration of Council delegations to the City’s other international friendship / sister cities.

2.3. The City of Hobart has four formal relationships and a fifth relationship in development. In order of establishment, these are:

2.3.1. Yaizu (Japan) 1977

2.3.2. L’Aquila (Italy) 1997

2.3.3. Xi’an (China) 2015

2.3.4. Fuzhou (China) 2017

2.3.5. Balibó (Timor-Leste) – in development

2.4. The City’s guiding ‘International Relations Action Plan’ commits the City to visiting its friendship / sister cities every two years and requires the same commitment from its partners. This is because although much correspondence can be conducted through email, telephone, WhatsApp, Wechat etc. it cannot entirely replace the understanding and bonds forged via face to face contact.

2.5. The Council’s Policy ‘Elected Member Development and Support’ permits individual elected members to participate in Council funded international city relationship delegations, up to the cost of $6,000 during their four-year term of office. For this reason, providing as much information as possible about the potential pipeline of visits will enable robust decision making.

2.6. The recent delegations to each of the partner cities that have included elected members are as follows:

2.6.1. Yaizu – August 2017

2.6.2. L’Aquila – May 2017

2.6.3. Xi’an – December 2017

2.6.4. Fuzhou – January 2017

2.6.5. Balibó – January 2018

2.7. The following are key dates / events that may present appropriate opportunities for the City to fulfil their commitments to their partner cities:

2.7.1. Yaizu:

· Annual Ara Matsuri Festival (12-13 August 2019).

· Accompanying a soccer team from South Hobart Football Club to Yaizu in 2020 as part of new yearly exchange program. It must be noted that this relationship came about as a direct result of the Yaizu Hobart sister city relationship and the government to government contacts.

· Accompanying businesses seeking to showcase products in Yaizu in either April or November 2021.

· Visiting Yaizu in February 2022 to mark the 45^th anniversary of the relationship.

2.7.2. L’Aquila:

· 10 year anniversary of L’Aquila earthquake – April 6 2019.

· Perdonanza Celestiana – World renowned annual holy festival and sister city meeting (approximately 28-29 August 2019). This is L’Aquila’s preferred occasion for visits as all sister cities are invited.

2.7.3. Xi’an:

· 4th Silk Road International Expo – May 2019. This is an expo that aims to promote international cooperation between countries along the Silk Road.

· Euro Asia Economic Forum – September 2019. 2 day forum attracting approximately 1,000 international delegates coming together to discuss opportunities for collaboration along the Silk Road. This was attended by the City of Hobart in 2017.

2.7.4. Fuzhou:

· May 18 2019 – Economic Trade Fair- Maritime Silk Road attracting over 350,000 visitors.

· May 31 – June 2 2019– Fisheries Expo attracting in excess of 300,000 visitors.

· June 4-8 2019 - Dragon Boat Festival involving a team from Greater Hobart collaborating with local Fuzhou paddlers. It must be noted that this relationship came about as a direct result of the Fuzhou Hobart sister city relationship and the government to government contacts.

· October / November 2019 – Tourism Festival, Glimpse of Fuzhou Seminars for Friendship Cities.

· November 2019 – Fuzhou’s first friendship city soccer tournament (involving South Hobart Football Club) as a direct result of the friendship city relationship between Hobart and Fuzhou.

2.7.5. Balibó:

· 26 January 2020 – visit in conjunction with the annual visit by Honorary Consul for Timor-Leste in Tasmania - Dr Nitin Verma.

3. Recommendation

That:

1. The Council notes the potential pipeline of visits to Hobart’s sister / friendship cities over the term of the current elected members.

2. More information is provided on each potential delegation by memorandum or report when official invitations are received from the host cities.

4. Background

4.1. A report and presentation was taken to the Economic Development and Communications Committee (EDCC) on 24 January 2019 following an officer visit to Fuzhou. Committee resolved:

That:

1. The summary report and presentation of the Economic Development Project Officer’s recent visit to Fuzhou be received.

2. A report be referred back to the Committee on the potential for a Council delegation to Fuzhou and Xi’an at the appropriate time.

4.2. This report is a response to committee’s resolution, with the added consideration of potential outbound delegations to other cities with which Hobart has a relationship during the term of the current elected members.

4.3. Council currently has four formal international relationships with a fifth in development. These are:

4.3.1. Yaizu (Japan) – Sister Cities since1977.

4.3.2. L’Aquila (Italy) – Sister Cities since1997.

4.3.3. Xi’an (China) – Friendship Cities since 2015.

4.3.4. Fuzhou (China) – Friendship Cities since 2017.

4.3.5. Balibó (Timor-Leste) – Looking to sign MOU in near future.

4.4. All activities relating to international relations at the City of Hobart are guided by the Council endorsed International Relations Action Plan (IRAP) – Attachment A to this report.

This plan is reviewed annually to ensure that it is still relevant, with the last review and Council endorsement occurring in April 2018.

4.5. Action1.3 in the IRAP states that the Council will:

Commit to undertaking sister / friendship city visits at least every two years, or as appropriate where the city makes an equivalent commitment.

4.6. The most recent Council visits including elected members to the above sister / friendship cities are as follows:

Fuzhou – January 2017. The Deputy Lord Mayor and one officer travelled to Fuzhou in conjunction with a State Government delegation and tour of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. The friendship city agreement was signed during this time.

Yaizu – August 2017. A delegation of five elected members, three officers and six community members travelled to Yaizu to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the Hobart-Yaizu sister city relationship.

L’Aquila – May 2017. Four elected members and two officers travelled to L’Aquila as part of a larger European study tour with the University of Tasmania. The visit to L’Aquila was to mark the 20^th anniversary of the relationship.

Xi’an – December 2017. One Alderman and one officer travelled to Xi’an to attend the Euro-Asia Economic Forum and to discuss with other friendship cities of Xi’an the potential for a project seeking to measure the value of international relationships.

Balibó – January 2018. Two elected members and two officers travelled to Timor-Leste to investigate the potential of a relationship with the village of Balibó. Projects were discussed during this time that included improving water supply to the village and improving waste collection and recycling.

One visit to Fuzhou in December 2018 was undertaken at officer level to take part in a series of seminars intended to increase knowledge of the Fuzhou culture, economy etc. as well as a familiarisation with key sites.

4.7. Travel to sister / friendship cities by elected members is governed by the policy ‘Elected Member Development and Support’ (Attachment B). Section G relates to international travel and states inter alia that:

Individual elected members may elect to participate in Council funded and approved international city relationship delegations, up to a maximum budget allocation of $6,000, during their four-year term of office.

As part of any such visit, where appropriate, the Council may advise community representatives, business, State Government and other relevant stakeholders, in order to ascertain their interest in participating in the visit as part of the Council delegation.

In addition to Council delegations, the Council may also approve participation in appropriate delegations conducted by the State Government or other relevant agencies.

The following criteria applies to travel on international delegations:

(a) The objectives of individual visits should be clearly defined.

(b) Visits will be timed to coincide with or support:

(i) Significant events in the life of the City acknowledged by the Council as a City of significance or with which the Council has a formal relationship;

(ii) Trade missions and delegations;

(iii) Major cultural events; or

(iv) Strategic opportunities to build on and reinforce relationships.

4.8. Given the budgetary cap on the travel of elected members in relation to sister / friendship cities, it is important to provide as much information about the potential pipeline of travel in this area to enable strategic decision making.

There are a number of events occurring in the City’s partner cities that could generate strong outcomes for the Hobart community. These include but are not limited to:

4.8.1. Yaizu:

· Annual Ara Matsuri Festival (12-13 August 2019). The Ara Matsuri Festival is one of the largest festivals in the region that occurs in order to pray for the growth and health of babies born to people of the area. The festival lasts for two days. On the second day, two shrines are carried around Yaizu for the whole day and the day ends with a large scale firework event. Attendance at this event is a strong sign of respect to the government and community of Yaizu.

· Accompanying a soccer team from Hobart to Yaizu in 2020 as part of new yearly exchange program.

The relationship between South Hobart Football Club (SHFC) and Yaizu has arisen directly from the sister city relationship with the Mayor of Yaizu visiting the club in August 2018 during his time in Hobart. Officers in Hobart and Yaizu provided the communicative links and support to SHFC to enable them to progress the idea of an exchange program. The SHFC has now been put in touch directly with the Yaizu Football Association with a view to welcoming a team from Yaizu in July / August 2019.

As the second stage of this relationship, it is anticipated that the SHFC will travel to Yaizu in 2020. Accompanying this first visit would add profile and show respect to the team travelling to Yaizu as part of a yearly exchange of players and coaching staff.

Exchanges of young people provide the most long lasting and sustainable impacts for the community. The parents of young people who have been involved in student exchanges to Yaizu in the past have reported children being more interested in studying foreign languages, greater interest in travelling, increased confidence and long lasting friendships with ‘brothers and sisters’ in Yaizu.

· Visiting Yaizu in April or November with businesses seeking to showcase their products.

A delegation from Hobart has been invited to travel to Yaizu during the Fishing Port Festival (Minato Matsuri) in April 2021 or the Oigawa Fair in November in 2021. Both festivals would provide an opportunity to businesses in Hobart to showcase products to large groups of community members attending the festivals.

· Visiting Yaizu in February 2022 to mark the 45th anniversary of the relationship.

Visiting Yaizu in 2022 for this event would be a sign of respect for Hobart’s longest standing international relationship. Officers are investigating a project to mark this milestone which may include the commissioning of public art in both places. A visit in 2022 could launch the artwork.

4.8.2. L’Aquila:

· 10 year anniversary of L’Aquila earthquake – April 6 2019.

Visiting L’Aquila to mark the anniversary of an earthquake that killed 308 people and displaced an estimated 65,000 would be a very strong sign of respect. It must be noted that the City of Hobart has not been invited at this time and that this may be a busy time for L’Aquila Council.

· Perdonanza Celestiana – 28-29 August each year (approximately).

This is a world renowned holy festival which will occur in 2019 for the 725th time. Each year the solemn rite of the Perdonanza (forgiveness) is renewed. This rite was granted by Peter of Morrone who was elected as pope in 1288 in L’Aquila. The rite was that ‘plenary indulgence’ (forgiveness for sins) could be granted to anyone who repented sincerely (previously it had only been granted to people with significant wealth). The City of Hobart has been invited to attend this event in the past (including last year). This is the time that L’Aquila prefers to host visits as they invite all of their sister cities at this time and hold a formal meeting.

4.8.3. Xi’an:

· May 2019 – 4th Silk Road International Expo – May 2019. This is an expo that aims to promote international cooperation between countries along the Silk Road. At the 2017 expo, 40 forums and meetings were held to discuss how to improve economic cooperation, expand cultural exchange, promote people to people contacts and facilitate trade and investment along the Silk Road economic belt. More than 2,000 foreign and 600,000 delegates attended from 80 countries showcasing 25,000 products.

· September 2019 - Euro Asia Economic Forum – September 2019. This is a two day forum attracting approximately 1,000 international delegates coming together to discuss opportunities for collaboration along the Silk Road. This was attended by the City of Hobart in 2017. Highlights were participation in a ‘Roundtable on Urban Cooperation in the Silk Road Economic Belt’ attended by seven of Xi’an’s friendship cities. This gave Hobart an opportunity to introduce itself to a global audience and learn more about Xi’an’s relationships with other cities. A substantial tourism seminar was also attended which was valuable to understand Xi’an as a tourist destination domestically and internationally as well as general characteristics of Chinese outbound tourism.

4.8.4. Fuzhou:

· May 18 2019 – Economic Trade Fair- Maritime Silk Road.

The official title of this event is the 2nd 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Expo and the 21st Cross-Straits Fair for Economy and Trade. Last year as part of these two events, 18 forums and meetings took place. There were 4,630 booths over an area of 120,000 sqm. 224 delegations attended from 77 domestic and foreign cities with 356,000 attending overall. Numbers are expected to slightly exceed this in 2019.

The top focus for the trade fair this year is the ‘Marine Economy and Urban Development - Coastal and Port Cooperation Forum’.

This will be jointly hosted by the 21st-Century Maritime Cooperation Committee, Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and Fuzhou Municipal People’s Government from May 17th to 19th. All members of the committee, representatives of ports, cities, relevant organizations and enterprises along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road are invited to the forum to have discussions on port cooperation. The forum will serve as a platform for delegates to jointly discuss the construction of smart and green ports and the building of an international port ecosystem along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. About 100-150 representatives will attend the forum and it is expected that Hobart as a friendship city of Fuzhou would be invited into these discussions.

· May 31 – June 2 2019– Fisheries Expo.

This expo is now the third largest of this kind in the world. Last year, the exhibition area was 66,000 square meters covering 6 main exhibition halls exhibiting fish, aquatic products etc. More than 300,000 visitors, exhibitors, fishery companies, experts and trade dealers attended the expo in 2018.

This year’s priority is the ‘Global Fishery Exchange and Cooperation Seminar’. Fuzhou has indicated that it will be inviting 1-2 experts from IMAS / UTAS to give a speech about the fishery industry and fish species found in the Antarctic area e.g. Antarctic Krill. Hobart delegates will also receive a tour of a fish farm / fishery company during the visit.

The City has been invited to attend this expo a number of times. Give the size of the event, this could be of interest to some sufficiently scaled Tasmanian businesses. Elected members are always well regarded in Chinese society and could provide additional profile to UTAS / IMAS and the attending businesses which could generate solid community outcomes in education (increased students / collaboration) and business. It could be possible for elected members to attend both this expo and the dragon boat festival in which a team from Greater Hobart will take part.

· June 4 - 8 2019 Dragon Boat Festival involving a team from Greater Hobart.

Hobart and Fuzhou have been planning the involvement of a team from Greater Hobart for over 12 months and this invitation is a direct result of the Fuzhou – Hobart friendship city relationship. Foreign amateur teams are not invited to take part unless they are a friendship city of Fuzhou.

The festival itself features a professional race that stops in 8 cities in China, Fuzhou being the fourth in the series. There will be 36 professional teams competing for ranking and points and the races are televised nationally in China. Alongside the professional race, the Fuzhou Sports Bureau organizes a traditional race featuring 13 local teams. The Greater Hobart paddlers will combine with local paddlers to create one team of around 40. Fuzhou has the licence to hold this festival for two more years (2019 and 2020).

It is intended that Hobart hosts a team of dragon boaters from Fuzhou later in 2019 as part of the development of ongoing relationships between dragon boat clubs in both cities.

Given a team of around 16 people is travelling from Greater Hobart, this could be a good opportunity for elected members to accompany the delegation and also attend the fisheries expo that takes place only two days before.

· October / November 2019 – Tourism Festival, Glimpse of Fuzhou Seminars for Friendship Cities. This series of seminars was attended by the Economic Development Project Officer in 2018. The seminars were extremely informative and covered topics such as the investment conditions in Fuzhou and culture of Fuzhou. Site visits to key attractions and points of interest such as the Fuzhou Customer Service Centre were also arranged. Another benefit of attending the seminars was that a number of Fuzhou’s friendship and prospective friendship cities were present. 11 cities from around the world were represented including Mombasa – Kenya, Tacoma – USA, Siem Reap – Cambodia and Koszalin – Poland. This provided a significant opportunity for the cities to exchange information about local government around the world and discuss their relationships with Fuzhou – sharing stories of success and opportunity for improvement.

· November 2019 - Fuzhou’s inaugural friendship city soccer tournament.

The Fuzhou – Hobart friendship city relationship has provided a platform to develop a relationship between South Hobart Football Club (SHFC) and a club / team in Fuzhou. Officers in both cities discussed this widely before inviting a delegation from Fuzhou to come to Hobart to meet SHFC (as well as investigating the Australian Wooden Boat Festival). It is intended that a team from SHFC travels to Fuzhou in November 2019 to take part in a tournament for Fuzhou’s friendship cities. It is hoped that this is the first step to establishing a yearly exchange of players and coaching staff.

The presence of elected members at this tournament would add profile and show respect to the teams taking part in this tournament. Exchanges of young people provide the most long lasting and sustainable impacts for the community.

· Balibó:

26 January 2020 – visit in conjunction with the annual visit by Honorary Consul for Timor-Leste in Tasmania - Dr Nitin Verma. The visit could potentially launch a joint project between the community of Hobart and Balibó around reducing the use of plastic and provide an opportunity for the signing of an MOU with Balibó which has been suggested by their national government.

4.9. It must be noted that events do sometimes occur with short notice from partner cities. These are difficult to anticipate as they are dependent upon the decision making timelines and processes at play in the international cities.

5. Proposal and Implementation

5.1. It is proposed that committee and Council receive this report highlighting potential visits to Hobart’s sister / friendship cities over the term of the current elected members.

5.2. Further information will be provided to elected members via memorandum or report when official invitations are received by partner cities to the aforementioned events.

6. Strategic Planning and Policy Considerations

6.1. Taking an active role in Hobart’s international relationships by visiting every two years is listed in the guiding document ‘International Relations Action Plan’.

6.2. This is also in line with the recently endorsed community vision pillar 4 – City Economies:

4.3.6 We value pilgrimage – the choice to explore places beyond our island. Those who stay elsewhere take our culture to the world. Those who return bring new experiences with them, which we can use to enrich and evolve our own.

4.3.7 We embrace those who have moved to Tasmania from elsewhere and work together for better economic outcomes. We welcome new people into our culture, quality of life and opportunities for meaningful employment.

4.3.8 We promote Hobart as a perfect environment for remote workers, sole traders, and niche small businesses.

7. Financial Implications

7.1. Funding Source and Impact on Current Year Operating Result

7.1.1. There is no budget for outbound delegations in the current financial year.

7.2. Impact on Future Years’ Financial Result

7.2.1. Two visits have been included into the draft budget for 2019-20.

7.2.2. The approximate costings below are noted for each city which will give elected members important information when considering the budget of $6,000 for international travel in their election term:

Yaizu

Number of nights 5

Elected member allowance $200

Economy return flight $1,500

Meal budget $125

Accommodation $1,500

Transport $100

Total $3,425

L’Aquila

Number of nights 10

Elected member allowance: $400

Economy return flight $2,000

Meal budget: $250

Accommodation: $3,000

Transport: $100

Total: $5,750

Fuzhou / Xi’an (joint visit)

Number of nights: 10

Elected member allowance: $400

Economy return flights
and internal flight: $2,000

Meal budget: $250

Accommodation: $3,000

Transport: $100

Visa: $150

Total: $5,900

Balibó

Number of nights: 6

Elected member allowance: $240

Economy return flight: $1,500

Meal budget: $300

Accommodation: $1,560

Visa: $60

Transport: $320

Inoculations: $600

Total: $4,580

7.3. Asset Related Implications

7.3.1. None

8. Legal, Risk and Legislative Considerations

8.1. The nature of friendship / sister city relationships are non-binding.

9. Environmental Considerations

9.1. The environmental impact of air travel cannot be disputed. It is therefore important that as much value as possible is created for the Hobart community from each visit.

9.2. Given the City has two friendship cities in China, the most is achieved from the long haul travel by visiting both cities on the same trip.

9.3. Many of Hobart’s friendship / sister cities are interested in the City of Hobart’s strengths when it comes to sustainability. Lessons can be shared through the international links.

10. Social and Customer Considerations

10.1. In line with community vision pillar 4, it is of social importance that the City of Hobart fosters a diverse selection of international relationships based on geography, industry and nature of outcomes (community, culture, economic).

10.2. The City establishing sister or friendship city agreements facilitates a broader local understanding and appreciation for different cultures and communities.

10.3. Fostering these relationships is also a powerful and respectful message to people within the community who have close cultural ties with the cities in question.

10.4. The community may question the value of international relations if the City of Hobart does not continue to continuously consider the way in which it measures and reports this information and involves the community in maximising opportunities arising.

11. Marketing and Media

11.1. Delegations to the international cities provide opportunities to tell stories and share learnings from the travel via social media / City News / the City’s website.

12. Community and Stakeholder Engagement

12.1. Key activities with sister / friendship cities are promoted in City News and on the City of Hobart website with the assistance of the Marketing and Communications Unit.

12.2. A number of innovative and interesting ideas in relation to Hobart’s sister / friendship cities have come from the community to date. It is therefore paramount that community awareness of these relationships continues to be increased.

12.3. The City was accompanied by three community members to Yaizu to mark the 40^th anniversary of the relationship. If Hobart has sufficient information about the nature of a delegation and sufficient time, this level of community involvement could be possible again.

13. Delegation

13.1. This matter is one for the Council.

As signatory to this report, I certify that, pursuant to Section 55(1) of the Local Government Act 1993, I hold no interest, as referred to in Section 49 of the Local Government Act 1993, in matters contained in this report.

Lucy Knott

Economic Development Project Officer

Tim Short

Director Community Life

Date: 15 March 2019

File Reference: F19/25270

Item No. 6.2

Agenda (Open Portion)

Economic Development & Communications Committee Meeting

Page 22

21/3/2019

REPORT TITLE: The Citys Role in Recognising Hobart as an Antarctic Gateway

REPORT PROVIDED BY: Economic Development Project Officer

Director Community Life

1. Report Purpose and Community Benefit

1.1. The purpose of this report is to recommend that Council expands the City’s role in recognising, celebrating, supporting and promoting Hobart’s relationship with Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.

1.1.1. The benefit of this to the community is that increased awareness of Hobart’s special status as a gateway city and of Antarctica in general will increase community connection to place and civic pride.

1.1.2. For those community members who already feel a connection to Antarctic and the Southern Ocean, proposals in this report will serve to reinforce this link.

1.1.3. Understanding Hobart’s status and opportunities that may arise from this could provide employment pathways for young people and residents that they were not previously aware of.

1.1.4. Celebrating and promoting Hobart’s status provides recognition to members of Hobart’s community members who contribute to the sector.

2. Report Summary

2.1. Hobart has a special status with regard to Antarctica. It is one of five global gateways and the only one in Australia.

2.2. Momentum is building around this connection with two globally significant conferences / meetings taking place in Hobart in August 2020. The third Antarctic Festival will also be arranged to take place during the same time.

2.3. Federal financial support for the sector is the highest it has been since the 1980s with $1 billion for a new icebreaker (set to be delivered to coincide with the above events), a new station at Macquarie Island ($50 million) and $45 million through the City Deal.

2.4. Public interest in the sector has been growing, evident in turnout at events such as the Antarctic Festival 2016 and 2018.

2.5. Attendance at the City of Hobart’s Antarctic reception reached an all time high in 2018.

2.6. To capitalise on this momentum and mark the significant events in Hobart in August 2020, it is proposed that the City expands its role in recognising, celebrating, supporting and promoting the sector in the following ways:

2.6.1. Brand development: Develop an umbrella brand to increase awareness of Hobart as one of five Antarctic gateway cities and to wish expeditioners well during their season. The brand would be evident via city street banners, lighting, website and social media. It is proposed that the brand be used by all sector stakeholders such as IMAS, Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) etc. The City’s contributions to this would be $9,740 in year one.

2.6.2. Invitation to the four Mayors of the other Antarctic gateway cities to Hobart in August 2020 to discuss how the cities might collaborate for the benefit of their communities. Facilitation of this meeting would be $6,000 in accommodation. This was offered by New Zealand in 2009 when a similar gathering occurred.

2.6.3. Expand the Antarctic reception. Council resolution allows 160 attendees. Due to last minute RSVPs or no RSVPs, 200 people attended in 2018. The event was the most vibrant in the 8 year history, attracting the Governor and Premier of Tasmania, as well as over 100 expeditioners which was the original aim of the event. To cater for 200 people, an expanded budget of $10,000 is needed. Alternatively, Council can support the original attendees and budget of 160 and $7,500 respectively.

2.6.4. Consider sponsoring other Antarctic events such as the Polar Law Symposium taking place in Hobart in December 2019. The symposium is a high profile gathering of 80 international experts in polar law. The City has been asked by UTAS / IMAS to contribute $3,000 which it did in 2014 when the symposium came to the southern hemisphere for the first time (to Hobart).

2.6.5. The budget increase requested for the 2019-20 year is $18,240 (excluding the Polar Law Symposium) which is broken down as follows:

Brand Development: $9,740

Facilitate discussions between gateway Mayors in Hobart: $6,000

Expansion of Antarctic Reception: $2,500 (current budget is $7,500). Current budget plus requested increase = $10,000.

2.6.6. It must be noted that the Economic Development Unit’s support of the University of Western Sydney and UTAS’ Antarctic Gateway Cities project ended in 2018-19. This was $20,000 in cash and up to $20,000 in kind per annum for three years. The request of an additional $18,240 in the 2019/2020 to fund an increased role for the City of Hobart in the absence of the Gateway Cities project means in real terms that the City is contributing less to the sector than in the last three financial years.

3. Recommendation

That:

1. The Council supports the City’s expanded role in recognising, celebrating, supporting and promoting Hobart’s relationship with Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.

2. The Council approve for consideration in the 2019-20 Economic Development budget function an additional $18,240 for the following activities:

· Antarctic Gateway City branding development including street banners and city lighting: $9,740.

· Enabling the four Mayors of the Antarctic Gateway Cities of Punta Arenas, Ushuaia, Cape Town and New Zealand to travel to Hobart in August 2020 to progress thinking and discussions about how the five gateway cities to Antarctic might create value for their communities through collaboration: $6,000.

· Annual Antarctic Reception: $2,500 (in addition to the annual budget of $7,500).

3. The Council consider providing $3,000 in sponsorship of an element of the 12^th Polar Law Symposium as requested by the University of Tasmania and the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies.

4. Background

4.1. Hobart has a special connection to Antarctica as one of only five global gateways. The others are Punta Arenas (Chile), Ushuaia (Argentina), Cape Town (South Africa) and Christchurch (New Zealand).

4.2. The positive impact of Hobart’s status as a gateway to Antarctica is both economic and cultural.

The most recent report commissioned by the Tasmanian Polar Network valued the economic contribution of the sector to the Tasmanian economy in 2016-17 as $180 million.

There are many sites of historical significance that form part of Australia’s history with the Antarctic such as Hadley’s Orient Hotel where Dr Douglas Mawson briefed his fellow expeditioners at a lunch prior to departure for Antarctica.

4.3. Hobart is the home port to both the Australian and the French Antarctic crews and has been visited by numerous other national Antarctic vessels including those of China and Japan.

4.4. The Antarctic sector in Hobart is supported by the Tasmanian Polar Network (TPN) which is a unique group of government and private sector organisations that all have a common focus. This group is highly successful in terms of sharing information, welcoming Antarctic nations visiting Hobart, lobbying for the sector and providing commercial goods / services to the sector either individually or in groups. Other gateway cities have sought to replicate this group but with less success.

4.5. Activities and interest in Antarctica is increasing.

4.5.1. Levels of Federal funding for Antarctic related activities such as a new icebreaker ($1 billion), new station at Macquarie Island ($50 million) and most recently through the City Deal ($450 million) has not been seen since the 1980s.

4.5.2. Visitation to Antarctic related attractions such as Mawson’s Huts Replica Museum and the Antarctic Festival has risen steadily over recent years.

The Antarctic Festival attracted 12,000 visitors in 2016 and 21,000 in 2018. Public tours of the Aurora Australis and the Investigator as part of the festival grew from 1,500 to 4,132. Children taking part in decorating penguins rose by 45 per cent from 5,500 in 2016 to 8,000 in 2018.

4.5.3. Hobart recently secured two very significant events in the Antarctic calendar, to take place in Hobart in August 2020. These are COMNAP (Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs) and SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research). These are some of the most significant gatherings of global expertise in the Antarctic sector for 2020. These meetings do not always take place in the same city. It is testament to the quality of the bid and Hobart’s status as an Antarctic Gateway City that both of these events will take place in Hobart.

COMNAP is taking place between 3 - 5 August 2020 in the City’sTown Hall. 200+ Antarctic Program Managers will attend this.

SCAR takes place in Hobart (3-7 August). This represents a gathering of 700 scientists from 40 countries.

4.5.4. The third Antarctic Festival is also being timed to coincide with the COMNAP and SCAR meetings. Based on previous years’ numbers, this would expect to attract over 20,000 attendees.

4.5.5. It is also hoped that Australia’s new icebreaker will be delivered to Hobart at this time (3-7 August).

4.6. The City of Hobart’s main role historically in recognising and celebrating the importance of the Antarctic sector has been in the hosting of an annual reception.

4.7. Although the opening of the season reception is growing in momentum and is highly valued by the expeditioners and the Antarctic community, it is felt that more could be done to promote Hobart’s status as an Antarctic Gateway and go further in communicating how valued the scientific community is in this space.

4.8. This report proposes that the City increases budget for the Antarctic reception but also expands its role in promoting and strengthening Hobart’s status as an Antarctic gateway city in the following ways:

Branding

4.9. October for the Antarctic sector is traditionally the most important month in Hobart as it is the time when the Antarctic season opens and therefore expeditioners head to Antarctica.

4.10. October is when the Antarctic reception hosted by the City of Hobart to wish expeditioners a safe and productive season.

4.11. October is also when Hobart welcomes delegates from around the globe who come together to participate in CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources). There are 25 member countries and a further 12 countries who are acceding states.

4.12. Preliminary discussions have been had with designers to create an umbrella brand for Hobart as a gateway city. This branding would be featured in street banners and reinforced through city lighting, social media and potentially through advertising at the airport (funded by a third party) which is the main entry point for expeditioners as they arrive in Tasmania prior to departing for Antarctica.

4.13. The City will be asking for cooperation from key stakeholders in this joint branding. The key stakeholders include Macquarie Point, Hobart Airport, Department of State Growth, Australian Antarctic Division, Tasmanian Polar Network, CCAMLR, Tasports, UTAS and IMAS.

4.14. An example of stakeholder involvement is Tasports commissioning extra banners and displaying them in their banner locations around the waterfront, Hobart Airport funding the airport signage and some of the key buildings on the waterfront such as IMAS lighting themselves blue in line with the Antarctic theme in each October and August 2020.

4.15. The City street banners and lighting would be intended to be used for three years for the month of October when the numbers of expeditioners and other Antarctic personnel are at their peak in the city.

4.16. Street banners could also be used in August 2020 during the COMNAP / SCAR / Antarctic Festival time but would be a lesser priority than conference and festival branding.

4.17. Branding in the form of street banners would communicate two messages:

1. That Hobart is one of five gateway cities to Antarctica; and

2. Hobart welcomes expeditioners and wishes them a safe season.

These key messages could be reinforced with further information on the City’s and partner websites / social media etc. One idea for example would be to profile expeditioner stories on the City of Hobart Website during October.

4.18. For a full program of banners and lighting, the cost would be $9,740 for year one. In years two and three, this would be reduced by $1,050 for the banner manufacturing taking the commitment from the City of Hobart to $8,690 in years two and three.

4.19. $2,970 is for airport advertising which would be expected to be met by branding partners such as Hobart Airport.

4.20. Early discussions have been had with Antarctic Tasmania (state government) about representing all key stakeholders in the sector within this umbrella brand. Antarctic Tasmania were receptive to this idea.

It is anticipated that a proposal will be taken to TAG in April. TAG is the Tasmanian Antarctic Gateway Advisory Group representing the aforementioned organisations in relation to Antarctica.

Other potential stakeholders such as the City of Clarence (HIAPL being in Clarence) will be contacted separately.

Invitation of the Mayors of the four gateway cities to Hobart

4.21. It is felt that the scale and quality of activity relating to the Antarctic in Hobart in August 2020 could present an opportunity to engage with the Mayors of the four other gateway cities and commence a dialogue about cooperation.

4.22. In 2009, the City of Christchurch in New Zealand initiated a very interesting opportunity for the Mayors of the five gateway cities to discuss enhancing cooperation. All Mayors travelled to Christchurch where a statement of intent was signed. Unfortunately, given the full program of activities in Christchurch, opportunities to really explore what the cooperation might be were limited. Since this time, little has happened in terms of group dialogue about how to continue these discussions.

4.23. The events in August 2020 provide Hobart with an opportune time to build on the foundations laid in Christchurch in 2009 and show leadership in re-invigorating this concept potentially through a facilitated workshop with the five Mayors.

4.24. In order to enable this, it is proposed that the Lord Mayor of Hobart personally invites the Mayors of Ushuaia, Punta Arenas, Cape Town and New Zealand to Hobart and that the City provides some financial assistance to facilitate this gathering.

Accommodation was provided in Christchurch in 2009 and it is proposed that Hobart offers the same for a Mayor and advisor from each city to the value of $6,000 in total.

Increase budget for the Antarctic Reception

4.25. Council resolved on 12 December 2016 inter alia:

That:

Council continue to support the staging of the annual Opening of the Antarctic Season Reception for 150 attendees and 10 international marine science students, at a cost of $7,500 to be funded from the Economic Development Function in the 2016/2017 Annual Plan.

4.26. The annual reception that has been running since 2010 enjoyed initial popularity but has struggled to attract strong numbers of expeditioners in recent years. Discussions were had with the Australian Antarctic Division and slight changes were made to RSVP processes that made attendance easier for expeditioners during this busy time.

As a result, reception numbers have grown from approximately 80 in 2016 to 200 in 2018.

4.27. The 2018 event was immensely successful with over 100 expeditioners in attendance in addition to the Governor and Premier of Tasmania.

A number of last minute RSVPs were received and a number of people also attended without an RSVP. This took the number of attendees to 200 which is 40 above what is planned each year.

4.28. Feedback was excellent for the event and it would be positive to be able to continue this momentum by extending the capacity of the event to 200 people. This would allow the event to incorporate expeditioners, CCAMLR nations, international Antarctic personnel and government representatives.

4.29. A budget of $10,000 would allow the City to host a significant reception catering for 200 attendees. It must be noted that some people RSVP’ing very late were turned away from the event this year due to lack of capacity.

4.30. Alternatively, Council may decide to maintain numbers at 160 with a budget of $7,500.

Polar Law Symposium Funding Request

4.31. The City of Hobart has been approached by the University of Tasmania and IMAS to provide $3,000 sponsorship towards the 12^th Polar Law Symposium taking place in Hobart from 1-4 December 2019 (Attachment A).

4.32. This prestigious event was held in the Southern Hemisphere (Hobart) for the first time in 2014 and attracted 80 international polar law experts, as well as attracting 2,000 views of streaming of the event.

4.33. IMAS has been successful in bidding for the 12^th Polar Law Symposium which will take place over a significant event for the Antarctic community (the signing of the Antarctic Treaty 60 years ago on December 1).

4.34. The City of Hobart sponsored a reception at the symposium in 2014 ($3,000 plus GST) and the same level of contribution is being sought for 2019.

Contributions could be directed towards a number of activities including keynote speaker costs, a lunch / dinner, subsidies to enable student participation, transport to Government House for a reception, an icebreaker event and marking the 60th Anniversary of the adoption of the Antarctic Treaty (Sunday 1 Dec at IMAS).

4.35. This request would not fall within criteria included in the City’s grant streams such as ‘Event Grants’ and ‘Community Grants’.

4.36. Although this event is clearly very prestigious, it is felt that the sponsoring of this event is not a priority when considered against other activities suggested in this report that will support Hobart’s status as an Antarctic gateway.

Antarctic Festival Funding

4.37. It must be noted that the City supported the Antarctic Festival in cash ($50,000) and up to $10,000 in kind in 2018. This was through the competitive grants process administered by the City. It is expected that the festival will apply to the City through the ‘Event Partnerships’ grant round that will open on 15 June.

Antarctic Gateway Cities Project

4.38. The City of Hobart elected to contribute $20,000 cash and up to $20,000 in kind per annum for 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 to support the University of Western Sydney and University of Tasmania’s project that set out to:

· Identify possibilities and obstacles for positioning the cities as custodial Antarctic cities.

· Evaluate best practices of how the Antarctic sector can engage communities including tourists both locally and globally.

· Evaluate opportunities and barriers for engaging youth in thinking about the future of Hobart and its relationship to Antarctica.

4.39. Outputs of the project are:

· A connectedness index that will demonstrate the nature of the city’s links to Antarctica across a range of indicators including economic and cultural. This will aid the City of Hobart and other partners in drawing comparisons to other Antarctic gateways and provide evidence to feed into strategic decisions affecting the relationship of the city with Antarctica.

· A sustainability profile for Hobart allowing the city to evaluate its strengths.

· Scenario projection process focussing on the city’s future relationship with Antarctica which could be fed into long term strategic planning.

· An online game seeking to promote exchanges of 15-25 year olds in all five gateway cities. Output from this game will be the visions of young people around the future of their cities and their relationships to Antarctica. This could again be fed into long term strategic planning.

· Social network analysis as a process of linking Hobart to other Gateway Cities in productive dialogue.

5. Proposal and Implementation

5.1. It is proposed that the Council supports an expanded role for the City in recognising, celebrating, supporting and promoting Hobart’s relationship with Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.

5.2. Supporting this expanded role is endorsement of increased funding for the sector which is detailed in section 7.2.1.

5.3. The Council may also want to consider providing sponsorship for an element of the 12^th Polar Law Symposium as requested by UTAS and IMAS.

6. Strategic Planning and Policy Considerations

6.1. Recognising, celebrating, supporting and promoting Hobart’s relationship with Antarctica and the Southern Ocean is in line with the Community Vision for Our Island Capital:

2.2.3 - Our connectedness is core to who we are, and we do not lose it as we grow. We invite each other in to join in it, recognising that connectedness can be challenging and is not everyone’s way of being.

2.2.9 - We welcome visitors, and we strike a balance between meeting the needs of tourists and the needs of our communities.

4.1.4 - We embrace industries and professions that thrive in Hobart’s unique environment, from Antarctic science and tourism to creative arts and technology.

7. Financial Implications

7.1. Funding Source and Impact on Current Year Operating Result

7.1.1. None

7.2. Impact on Future Years’ Financial Result

7.2.1. The proposals for increased funding in this report are for the 2019- 20 financial year and are as follows:

· Branding the City as the Antarctic Gateway (year one) - $9,740.

· Enabling the four Mayors of the Gateway Cities to come to Hobart in 2020 = $6,000 (accommodation).

· Increased budget for the Annual Antarctic Reception by $2,500 from $7,500 to $10,000.

Total funding increase = $18,240

7.2.2. Potential sponsorship of the Polar Law Symposium $3,000.

7.2.3. It must be noted that financial contributions to the sector for 2019-20 from the Economic Development budget has been reduced by $20,000 (cash) and up to $20,000 in kind as the University of Western Sydney and UTAS project has come to a conclusion. Essentially, the budget request in the Economic Development Unit to support the Antarctic sector has dropped by $1,760, from $20,000 to $18,240.

7.3. Asset Related Implications

7.3.1. The banners will be assets owned by the City of Hobart. Given extensive wear and tear due to locations and inclement weather, these assets will have a life of three years.

8. Legal, Risk and Legislative Considerations

8.1. Working with the TAG group to create branding for the city as a Gateway to Antarctica would be non-binding.

8.2. Any agreements signed by the Mayors of the gateway cities would be non-binding.

9. Environmental Considerations

9.1. Building awareness of Hobart’s status as gateway to Antarctica contributes to building awareness of the links between climate change and the threat to the Antarctic as we know it.

9.2. The printing of signage is not without environmental impact arising from plastic usage in banners and paint. For this reason, it is proposed that the banners are used for their life (three years) rather than printing year specific banners every 12 months.

10. Social and Customer Considerations

10.1. Building community awareness of Hobart’s status as an Antarctic gateway creates opportunities for the community to feel connected.

11. Marketing and Media

11.1. Driving forward an umbrella brand for Hobart as an Antarctic gateway that other stakeholders can participate in places the City of Hobart in a leadership position which is positive for the City’s brand.

11.2. The City of Hobart can reinforce the gateway brand by creating secondary and reinforcing marketing content such as profiles of Antarctic expeditioners via the City’s website during October.

11.3. The media are engaged annually in the Opening of the Antarctic Season Reception via press release.

12. Community and Stakeholder Engagement

12.1. Antarctic Tasmania which is a state government department has been consulted in proposals around a gateway brand.

12.2. The brand concept has also been discussed with the City’s Communications and Marketing Division.

12.3. Should Council endorse this report, the branding proposals will be taken to TAG (Tasmanian Antarctic Gateway Advisory Group) which is a senior group of Antarctic stakeholder organisations.

13. Delegation

13.1. This matter is one for Council.

Lucy Knott

Economic Development Project Officer

Tim Short

Director Community Life

Date: 14 March 2019

File Reference: F19/26463

Attachment a: 2019 Polar Law Symposium - Dr Julia Jabour ⇩

Item No. 6.3

Agenda (Open Portion)

Economic Development & Communications Committee Meeting

Page 36

21/3/2019

REPORT TITLE: Connected Hobart - Smart City Framework and Action Plan

REPORT PROVIDED BY: Director City Innovation

1. Report Purpose and Community Benefit

1.1. The purpose of this report is to seek in-principle approval to commence a final period of public consultation in relation to two (2) smart city program work products:

(i) The Connected Hobart Smart Cities Framework (refer Attachment A); and

(ii) The Connected Hobart Smart Cities Action Plan (refer Attachment B).

1.2. Connected Hobart is the City’s response to the development of a Smart Cities program for Hobart. It is the program through which the City will consider and enact solutions to:

(i) Provide meaningful guidance to the internal civil service;

(ii) Improve services for all stakeholders;

(ii) Be a trusted adviser to Elected Members;

(iv) Prototype new technology;

(v) Provide a bridge from the public to the private sector; and

(vi) Ensure Greater Hobart has better access to the information and data it needs to accelerate responses to southern Tasmania’s big challenges.

2. Report Summary

2.1. The City Innovation Division commenced work on exploring a Smart Cities strategy for the City of Hobart in March 2018. The output of that work is the draft Connected Hobart program.

2.2. Connected Hobart is not about technology. It is about improving access to the information and data the City needs to help Hobart become Australia’s most economically, socially and environmentally connected community by 2030.

2.3. It will achieve this by improving the City’s capability to sense and respond (measure), and predict and act (make decisions) about both the significant challenges of today and those awaiting us in the future.

2.4. It will provide community benefit by focusing on delivering continuous improvements to both the informed decision making capabilities of Hobart City Council (the Council), and the ways in which the Corporation of the City of Hobart will partner and share both resources and information with other city custodians, administrators and stakeholders.

2.5. Connected Hobart is supported by two (2) work products:

(i) The Connected Hobart Smart Cities Framework – DRAFT (The Framework) is a strategic document that is fully aligned with the pillars of Hobart: a community vision for our island capital. It lays out the architecture for smart cities decision making in Hobart.

(ii) The Connected Hobart Smart Cities Action Plan – DRAFT (The Action Plan) is an operational document. It is The Framework in practice and is represented by approximately 50 operational and collaborative city-partner initiatives proposed for delivery over the coming 5-years. The final make-up of prioritised initiatives within The Action Plan will be re-submitted to Council in July for final approval.

3. Recommendation

That:

1. The work products identified in this report, namely The Framework and The Action Plan for the Connected Hobart program, be adopted (in-principle) to enable a period of public consultation to occur commencing on 2April 2019.

2. The General Manager be delegated the authority to complete The Framework and The Action Plan work post the public consultation period, with a final report to be provided to the Council in July 2019 for formal adoption of the program documents.

4. Background

4.1. For all the great things about Hobart there are challenges facing our city. Some of them have persisted over generations while others are just on the horizon.

4.2. These extend from how the city can continually increase capacity in its traditional “rates, roads and rubbish” service portfolios within existing headcount and budgetary constraints, to how the City can contribute to improving housing affordability, congestion, and population growth, while also involving itself with other Greater Hobart communities through national initiatives such as the City Deal.

4.3. To define and measure success in these areas, then guide our responses across the public domain, the City requires a programmatic approach to improving access to the information and data it needs.

4.4. This can only be achieved through changing the organisational approach to a contemporary mix of both human ingenuity and technological innovation.

4.5. This is what a Smart Cities program is tasked to deliver.

4.6. Our program, Connected Hobart, will provide a roadmap for how the City of Hobart uses technology and data to better service the community’s needs, improve liveability for its residents and visitors, manage its natural and built-environment resources, drive economic activity, and foster innovation through the adoption of right-sized and fully integrated contemporary technologies and solutions.

5. Proposal and Implementation

5.1. Implementation of the recommendation includes execution of a number of final consultative activities over the following timeframe:

(i) Distribution of draft documentation to staff, 18/3/2019;

(ii) Report to Economic Development and Communications Committee, 21/3/2019;

(iii) Council Agenda - in principle adoption, 1/4/2019;

(iv) Execute final public consultation plan, April – May 2019;

(v) Report to Economic Development and Communications Committee, 20/6/2019;

(vi) Council Agenda - notification 8/7/2019; and

(vii) Launch campaign, from 9/7/2019.

5.2. Details of the launch campaign will be provided to the Council with the final Committee report in June 2019.

6. Strategic Planning and Policy Considerations

6.1. The journey towards Connected Hobart commenced following conclusion of Hobart: a community vision for our island capital. Because of that, the program has been developed from the ground up to fully align with the direction provided to Council by the community.

6.2. Like the Vision, Connected Hobart has eight (8) key programs which are articulated in The Action Plan:

Vision Pillar	Connected Hobart Program
Sense of Place	Connected Places and Safety
Community Inclusion, Participation and Belonging	Connected Living
Creativity and Culture	Connected Community and Culture
City Economies	Connected Industry and Tourism
Movement and Connectivity	Connected Transport
Natural Environment	Connected Environment
Built Environment	Connected Infrastructure
Governance and Civic Involvement	Connected Government

6.3. Within each of these programs, a series of specific initiatives or projects have been drafted based on either feedback or key stakeholder consultation undertaken since April 2019, or to incorporate alignment with adjacent Council and partner strategies either in place, or currently under development including for example:

(i) Strategic Plan (Draft);

(ii) Transport Strategy (Draft);

(iii) Proposed Eco-Hobart Program;

(iv) Climate Change Strategy (Draft);

(v) Food Strategy (Draft);

(vi) Waste Management Strategy 2015-2030; and

(vii) RACT Mobility Vision (Draft).

6.4. Connected Hobart will play a unifying role across each of these strategies by providing a single data portal initiative within the Connected Government program to transparently communicate key data to the community while protecting personal data and preserving individual privacy.

6.5. The Connected Hobart portal will provide a central pane of glass for general information, quantifiable metrics and data from across all strategies (and initiatives such as the City Deal) and use integrated data from numerous programs from across the City of Hobart and the City as a leverage for change.

7. Financial Implications

7.1. Funding Source and Impact on Current Year Operating Result

7.1.1. There will be no impact on the current year operating result.

7.2. Impact on Future Years’ Financial Result

7.2.1. There will be no impact on future year operating results. The recent organisational restructure that commenced in January 2019 included the establishment of a Smart Cities Assets and Planning unit from existing staff resources.

7.2.2. This restructure realigned the service and asset ownership structure within the former City Infrastructure division to better reflect the contemporary management of a number of “smart city assets” (see Asset Related Implications below).

7.2.3. Forward year allocations have been made in the 10-Year Capital Works Plan from 2019/20 to 2021/22 and were approved by Council at its meeting held on 18 February 2019. Direct initiatives contributing to Connected Hobart funding include:

(i) Connected Precincts Infrastructure $200,000 in 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22.

(ii) Automated Vehicle Trials $100,000 in 2019/20.

(iii) North Hobart Parking Extensions $600,000 in 2019/20.

(iv) Electric Vehicle Charging Stations $170,000 in 2019/20.

(v) Crowded Spaces Response $500,000 in 2019/20 and 2020/21.

(vi) Energy Savings Action Plan $100,000 in 2019/20 and 2020/21.

7.3. Indirect capital investments will also be included in other initiatives within the City Growth, City Amenity and Community Life Divisions. Examples include components of the following:

(i) Bridges Connection $250,000 in 2019/20.

(ii) Argyle Street Carpark Traffic Lights $60,000 in 2019/20 and $540,000 in 2020/21.

(iii) Parks and Public Toilet Strategy Renewals (various).

(iv) City Laneways – Access and Lighting Upgrades $100,000 in 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22.

(v) Implementation of the Transport Strategy $250,000 in 2019/20 and 2020/21.

(vi) New Town, Salamanca and Midtown precinct upgrades.

7.4. Asset Related Implications

7.4.1. Connected Hobart will undertake maintenance, renewal, and new investment asset management programs similar to those that exist across other asset classes like buildings, roads, parks, toilets and stormwater.

7.4.2. Specific “smart city” asset classes within the City Innovation Division (custodian of the Connected Hobart program) include Lighting, Electrical Networks, Parking and Transport, CCTV, Digital Signage, and CPTED/Public Safety assets.

7.4.3. Historically, limited or no recurrent funding has been allocated for the ongoing management of some of these asset portfolios which will impede the speed at which new and innovative solutions can be pursued against priorities to fix existing underlying services.

7.4.4. In 2018 submissions were provided to the following Federal Grant programs to support the City contemporise a number of these asset classes. Both were unsuccessful:

(i) Smart Cities & Suburbs (Round 2): $2,025,000 (to support investment in contemporising communication, energy and transport technologies within a specific innovation precinct).

(ii) Safer Communities Fund: $760,000 (to support public safety network upgrades and kick-starter funding of a central security operations centre within the City).

8. Legal, Risk and Legislative Considerations

8.1. Inevitably, technology adoption exceeds the ability of governments to keep pace with legislative and regulatory change. For example, the word ‘driver’ is a key noun in numerous Transport, Roads and Highways Acts but will eventually not apply, or require reinterpretation as driverless or fully autonomous vehicles work their way into national transportation systems over coming decades.

8.2. Similarly the words cash, coin and money have taken on new meanings in the 21^st Century; decades after many existing laws were last amended.

8.3. As described in The Framework (Principles) new technologies will from time-to-time require new policy direction, and sometimes even new legislation. It is envisaged that development of new policies, procedures, by-laws, laws and will occur as required.

8.4. These types of legal, risk and legislative considerations are just some of the catalysts for Connected Hobart’s approach to utilise trials and proofs of concepts for new technologies and initiatives across the Smart City program.

9. Environmental Considerations

9.1. Many cities are embracing the insights that the integration of old and new approaches to environmental management can provide. Far from being the sole domain of a climate change officer, in Hobart the security and resilience of our City’s natural environment is critical to everyone.

9.2. From measuring then understanding the impact of cruise ship bunker fuels, to where people are smoking, identifying litter in open spaces, detecting heat in mulch piles, heat and soil dryness in parks, or water quality and levels in fountains and catchments, working cooperatively with City partners to deliver open insights to the public is the new benchmark in environmental responsibility.

9.3. Similarly, from the cars on our roads to the lights on our streets and to the solar panels on our roofs, innovation continues to disrupt the energy sector and digital transformation is leaving nothing untouched.

9.4. Then there is the City of Hobart Waste Management Strategy 2015-2030 which aims to achieve zero waste to the Hobart Landfill by 2030 and includes over 90 actions across a range of areas such as organic waste, education, and litter. Cities are now using advanced artificial intelligence to help sort household waste – a great example of how innovations are being applied to existing council strategies.

9.5. The bottom-line is that where the City of Hobart may have previously focused on different general-purpose assets in isolation (like street lights or building management systems, or sea-level changes), new approaches to digitally enabled infrastructure provides a new impetus for the City to integrate multiple programs into one information system. This kind of approach is allowing cities to move from demand-driven climate change investments to fully closed loop data-driven resilience funding via new smart micro-grids across entire precincts and campuses.

9.6. Ultimately the City of Hobart is a frontline community in the face of climate change, and we are constantly reviewing ways in which we can be more accountable to the environment. The City has already achieved significant reductions in its greenhouse gas emissions and energy use in recent years and will continue to invest in energy-saving projects and programs. But we can always do more and Connected Hobart in collaboration with the Eco-Hobart program are the vehicles for that multi-program integration.

10. Social and Customer Considerations

10.1. Extensive public consultation was successful in highlighting a number of areas in which the community expressed concerns – these included topics such as individual privacy and invasive network technologies.

10.2. Connected Hobart was developed with these concerns and tensions in front-of-mind. It recognises and calls out the need to monitor our motivations and make sure we have the community’s best interests in mind when undertaking any project activity. A whole section within The Framework – Decision Making Principles – has identified 15 principles to guide strong choices for the way in which the City will address impactful change.

10.3. Furthermore, there will be a number of ways that the community will be asked to participate in the Connected Hobart program. Many of these are detailed in the Action Plan (refer Attachment B) with some examples including:

(i) A public showing room in the Council Centre building to showcase new innovations and solutions;

(ii) An Innovate.Hobart Citizen Data Scientists initiative where the community can use open and public data provided by the program to help identify or solve problems;

(iii) A suggested initiative called The Smarter Hobart Challenge to engage the community in solution ideation, design and potential commercialisation through Sister Cities;

(iv) Technology Free Zones that acknowledge everything – including pervasive technologies – have a time and a place and that none of us wants a city overrun by technology; and

(v) Hobart City Labs where citizens, other councils, industry and technology stakeholders can co-design and support the trial of solutions to address significant strategic planning and city challenges.

11. Marketing and Media

11.1. A full marketing and communications plan will be established during the final public consultation phase in preparation for the program launch.

11.2. It will be a consideration of this plan as to the formal adoption of a Connected Hobart brand treatment similar in nature to the Creative Hobart program. This will allow appropriate consistency across all facets of the program, from brand templates, through to social media, formal communications and asset identification and tagging.

11.3. City Innovation will establish a Connected Hobart innovation blog to maintain open dialogue with the City, state, national and international community (including Sister Cities) in relation to the global Smart Cities Movement. It will also act as the vehicle for delivery of more detailed posts about specific Action Plan initiatives.

11.4. A Connected Hobart website, identified within the Action Plan, will form a key plank of the program.

11.5. A final public forum will be held in the Town Hall ballroom during May 2019. The Connected Hobart Your Say page will be updated to reflect progression in delivery of the program as well as to invite ongoing comment, suggestions, feedback and prioritisation of specific initiatives.

11.6. Structured staff workshops and partner meetings will be undertaken to ensure consistent and integrated cross-divisional alignment of strategic outcomes and specific individual initiatives.

12. Community and Stakeholder Engagement

12.1. Successful Smart Cities are inclusive by nature and for that reason Connected Hobart has people at its core. It was created in consultation with staff and cross-industry representatives from both within Tasmania and around the country.

12.2. Throughout 2018-19 external community engagement was undertaken with the following entities: Department of State Growth (TSG Division), Department of Premier and Cabinet (Business and Trade Division), Department of Premier and Cabinet (Office of eGov Division), Department of Premier and Cabinet (Policy Division), University of Tasmania (various schools), RACT, RAC (Western Australia), Tasnetworks, 42-24, Taswater, Metro Tasmania, Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Police, Hobart International Airport, Local Government Association of Tasmania, Entura (Hydro Tasmania), TAS ICT, Telstra (State and National), NBN Co., Hobart Youth Squad, the Hobart Accessibility Committee, Clarence City Council, North Hobart Traders Association, and Council of Capital City Lord Mayors: Innovation and Connectivity Working Group.

12.3. Throughout 2018-19 internal stakeholder engagement was undertaken with the following groups: Aldermanic Workshop – Smart Cities, City of Hobart staff workshops, City Infrastructure Division briefing (September 2018), Parks and City Amenity Division briefings (October 2018), IAG Autonomous Vehicles Industry Briefing (October 2018), City Innovation and Technology Division briefing (2018) and Uber Briefing (March 2019).

12.4. Three (3) public forums were held in the Town Hall during August 2018 and were attended by approximately 200 people, they were:

(i) Smart Cities Forum: The Art of Possible - 15 August 2018;

(ii) Smart Cities Forum: What You Need to Know - 22 August 2018; and

(iii) Smart Cities Forum: Building a Contemporary Australian City - 29 August 2018.

12.5. The Director City Innovation delivered keynote presentations at the following external public and peer stakeholder events to discuss and test key elements of the Connected Hobart program:

(i) Tasmanian Combined Principals Association Conference (2018).

(ii) Geelong! Shaping a smart, digital and sustainable future (2019).

12.6. Further invitations were extended to the following Tasmanian councils, via the Office of the General Manager, to explore the integrated “smart” requirements of Tasmania’s growing cities: Glenorchy City Council, Kingborough Council, Launceston City Council, Burnie City Council, and Devonport City Council.

12.7. Consultative site visits were undertaken with the following national councils: City of Perth, City of Sydney.

12.8. A meeting was held with Minister Gutwein in November 2018 to discuss cross-over opportunities with the ongoing nation-building initiatives of the City Deal and City of Hobart’s own Smart City initiatives which may help the State articulate a significant clear vision for Greater Hobart. This was followed-up with a meeting with the Tasmanian Coordinator General in February 2019.

12.9. An advertising and post-card based mail-out campaign was run from August 2018 until November 2019. Over 200 submissions were received and factored into the two (2) work products.

12.10. A Connected Hobart explainer video was developed and broadly communicated via the program’s Your Say page and social media.

12.11. Many of these stakeholder relationships will be revisited in the final public consultation period; in part to identify program partners to share in the investment and outcomes identified in the Action Plan.

13. Delegation

13.1. This matter is for the Council to determine.

Peter Carr

Director City Innovation

Date: 14 March 2019

File Reference: F19/27937; 18/217-001

Attachment a: Connected Hobart Smart Cities Framework ⇩

Attachment b: Connected Hobart Smart Cities Action Plan ⇩

about people	We value people – our community, our customers and colleagues.
professional	We take pride in our work.
enterprising	We look for ways to create value.
responsive	We’re accessible and focused on service.
inclusive	We respect diversity in people and ideas.
making a difference	We recognise that everything we do shapes Hobart’s future.