There were presentations about transport poverty in the Huon from Esther Shilling, the Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Huon Valley Council; an excellent power point presentation prepared by Deb Mill, Community Engagement Officer supporting Tasman Voices for Health was presented next, and then, from Austin Greenwood, CEH Committee Member, estimates of household costs associated with providing private transport and the high level of emissions in the Huon Valley.

These three short presentations were followed by an illustrated talk by Mary Haverland, a resident and transport professional who has worked in transport for 30 years including time in the UK and Canada; she is now Founding Director of Avandra Advisory. Mary took attendees through an understanding of the challenges of transport in the Huon and introduced them to a number of initiatives and projects taking place in the UK and Europe. The key point being that many other jurisdictions have specifically looked at transport in regional and rural areas and derived place base solutions. Specific mention was made of transportation hubs, demand responsive transport, and community led transport programs.

The specific aim of CEH in running the Forum was to build a broad based coalition to support better transport in the Huon in the future. The event concluded with attendees being asked to fill out a response form so that we could assess the level of interest and ensure we keep in touch. The information provided showed that there was great backing to progress with this transport initiative:

• 93% supported forming a Community Group

• 86% asked to stay informed

• 50% offered to actively contribute

• No negative comments were recorded

We are delighted that Council has signalled they are willing to engage and they are both emphasise the importance of data and can help with the provision of information. Apart from Council, CEH will be continuing its connection by consulting with senior management at UTAS, Department of State Growth and RACT, and through Minister Vincent’s office.