Ms BURNET (Clark) – Deputy Speaker, I rise to support this bill and the work Mr Bayley has done to get the bill to this point. Thank you, Mr Bayley, for representing the Greens on this.
I am going to talk about the context of the Cenotaph and where it is in its surrounds and talk about the social and geographical connection that Tasmanians hold dear with the Cenotaph at its centre. I also recognise the RSL and any returned servicemen and women who may be listening or watching today.
How is it that there is no really broad and robust protection of the Cenotaph and its surrounds? Is it an oversight? Is it because it is clear that it is an important part of the Tasmanian post-war story and landscape? Is it implicit? The Cenotaph is a landmark of our capital city at the eastern gateway to the city, viewed from the Tasman Highway as you come in to Hobart. Looking east down Macquarie Street you can see the Cenotaph perched on that part of the Domain, which was severed off because of the Tasman Highway. It sits on that hill. It is like the hub of various views as spokes. It is probably a sum of all of those things for the reasons why. It is one of those omnipresent elements of our city in some way, and we kind of take it for granted sometimes.
The Cenotaph has been described so eloquently already today, but it is an important part of the culture of this island. Some of these things are really intangible elements, which is often what heritage is, but it is that connection that people who have returned from service overseas, who might be reservists, who might have had family who served in various wars – too many wars to mention. Like most of my colleagues in the Chamber, I have been to many services at the Cenotaph and it is a powerful place. It is really important because of that sense of place. It is a very hard thing to describe, but it is that sense of place – being on top of that hill, that connection to the water where the troops would have left from and would have come up the river when they returned home.
It is a very significant, symbolic place, and so many people have gathered there who have commemorated loss, commemorated with family, and thought of people long past who have served for those freedoms that Mr Abetz mentioned before. There is no argument at all that this war memorial, the Hobart Cenotaph is important.
When I was serving on the City of Hobart – and it again goes back to something that Mr Abetz pointed out earlier – in 2018 we were developing the Hobart Precinct plan, 64 blocks of the inner city and we were looking at what sort of development, what sort of residential amenity. At the time, there was a lot of discussion about heights of buildings, so the Fragrance buildings were being considered and they were much higher and of a scale which was not suitable for the inner city of Hobart. It is that sense of scale which was really borne out by the Leigh Woolley report.
Leigh Woolley, a well-known architect in Hobart, did his building heights standards review, and this was endorsed by council in 2018, two years after the Eden Project was discussed in parliament, which Mr Abetz referred to. The year 2018 is probably part of the reckoning of what people valued in their city. It was the heights and the scale of one of the most liveable small cities in the world, our capital city, and that sense of size and scale in the Tasmanian landscape is so important when we are considering such things that connect us with place.
I go back to the Cenotaph. Where the Cenotaph is, in its place, in the sense with that connection and view line to the east, is important. That view line out to the water is important, for the sunrise and for the troops returning home. These things are all very important when you consider something, not as a Cenotaph anywhere, it is where it is. This is why this bill is so important.
Leigh Woolley’s work was breathtaking. It was an amazing report and it made those connections with view lines from the floor of the cove to places like the pinnacle of kunanyi. It had the view line from the cove to St George’s Church in Battery Point, another iconic and well‑protected monument in Battery Point, a heritage suburb. It had connections to the Cenotaph.
Particularly, again, I remember thinking, that connection down Macquarie Street unimpeded to the Cenotaph was a very consistent and important aspect of what Lee Woolley was raising awareness about. To me, at that time, I did not think of the Cenotaph as anything but a monument where you went on ANZAC day and remembered, but the significance in its landscape became crystal clear after being involved and reading those reports, and understanding the depth and that importance of connection to place.
These are all really important points. Broader urban landform and our place within this landscape is important to all Tasmanians. Our sense of place is very important. Our sense of home and coming home would have meant everything to those troops returning from active service and the horrors of war. The Cenotaph and its surrounds are important even just for attending ANZAC Day services, for all of us who remember those people who served. The Cenotaph embodies that celebration of what is important in place, and that connection to community is very important as well.
In summary, this bill is an important part of the Cenotaph story in its landscape. It is for all of us to reflect on the importance of this in our city’s story, our state’s story, and that history and an understanding of our place in the world.
