On Monday, the Hobart City Council will workshop the draft City of Hobart Dog Management Policy 2025-30.
No decision will be made at this workshop meeting, with the draft policy to be considered for release for final public comment at a future council meeting.
This policy has sparked much community interest and debate, particularly regarding the shared use of the South Hobart Oval.
Extensive consultation over a number of years, has shown that the community is evenly split on whether the oval should remain shared or no longer be available for off-lead dog use.
The South Hobart Oval situation is unique, with off-lead dogs banned at all other major City sportsgrounds and was developed due to a historic lack of suitable well located open space for dog exercise within South Hobart.
Whilst the City's ongoing efforts to resolve this matter have been well intentioned this has led to ongoing tension between the South Hobart Football Club and the dog walking community leaving the City in a difficult situation.
If dogs are prevented from exercising on the ground, the Football Club would be satisfied, but the dog walking community would be aggrieved.
Conversely, if dogs are allowed to continue exercising on the ground, the positions would be reversed.
Given that the current situation has existed for nearly 20 years, and despite various efforts to provide a compromise, the position of both the dog walking community and the club leaves the City in a no-win situation with a recommendation to maintain the status quo of shared use considered the fairest approach for all stakeholders at this time.
Quotes to be attributed to City of Hobart Director Strategic and Regulatory Services Neil Noye:
"The City is committed to working with both the club and the dog walking community to identify and implement improvements over time.
"This may include increased surveillance of the ground, additional City maintenance, more playing spaces, and new off-lead dog exercise areas in South Hobart.
"Hopefully, in the near future a solution can be found that addresses the interests of all stakeholders."
