Outgoing Hobart lord mayor Anna Reynolds has warned the state government’s public sector job cuts pose a “significant threat to the economy” of the city.
“It’s going to be like a wrecking ball in Hobart’s CBD economy,” she told reporters at Town Hall on Tuesday.
Reynolds said 6,165 jobs in the CBD were classified as public administration.
She said about 48% of the 67,000 people who work in the capital each day were employed in the public sector.
The latest state budget includes plans to cut 1,700 jobs through attrition and voluntary redundancies.
CPSU general secretary Thirza White said the cuts would mostly affect corporate roles based in Hobart.
She called on the government to release economic modelling so businesses could plan ahead.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the public service had grown faster than the population since the pandemic and the government was “just right-sizing that”.
Lord mayoral candidate Marti Zucco accused Reynolds of ignoring the impact of eight years of council policies on rates, parking and bike lanes.
“In my assessment, Anna Reynolds has been the most damaging lord mayor for Hobart’s business community during my time on council,” he said.
Zucco, who has spent more than three decades on council, said Reynolds’ legacy would be judged on the state of the city.
“Hobart needs a fresh direction and, after eight years of wrecking ball policies, it is time for the lord mayor to accept responsibility and move on gracefully,” he said.
Rockliff also criticised the council in July after seven Pub Banc venues went into administration.
“There is no doubt there is a very strong vibe in and around the Hobart city that the Hobart City Council is not a council that values small business, values jobs in the local area,” he said at the time.
Reynolds called those comments “insensitive to those affected, inflammatory and highly inaccurate”.
Deputy lord mayoral candidate Louise Elliot also took aim at the lord mayor on social media.
“Anna and her green buddies think Hobart’s economy runs on public servants and coffee shops. And you know what? She’s right!” she wrote.
“And that’s the problem – that’s a big part of why our economy has tanked and our city is almost dead!”
Lord mayoral candidate Charles Wooley has put forward a plan to fill empty shops in the CBD.
He is offering a full year of rates relief for eligible vacant shops that secure a new tenant, with the savings passed on to the tenant.
“I want to put the B back into the CBD, put business back into the CBD,” he said.
Reynolds is not seeking re-election. Voting is compulsory and closes at 2pm on October 27.
