Letter to Premier Rockliff: Royal Hobart Hospital worker safety and Domain Quarry investment
11 September 2026
Dear Premier
Royal Hobart Hospital worker safety and Domain Quarry investment
I am writing regarding deeply concerning reports of Royal Hobart Hospital healthcare workers being assaulted, threatened and harassed while travelling to and from work.
The experiences reported to me include a healthcare worker being pursued by a man armed with a knife, an oncology nurse being physically assaulted, and women being threatened and harassed while walking to early, evening and night shifts.
As a paramedic, I understand the hours worked by hospital staff and the vulnerability that can accompany travelling before dawn or late at night. No healthcare worker should have to risk violence or pay substantial private parking costs because they are frightened to walk to work.
I ask that the State Government coordinate an urgent response involving the Department of Health, RHH management, Tasmania Police and the City of Hobart. This should include:
Consultation with affected workers and RHH Emergency Department leadership, including Dr Byron Booth;
A safety assessment of frequently used staff routes, including Liverpool Street, the Brooker Highway approaches, Davies Avenue, Campbell Street, Letitia Street and the railway roundabout tunnels;
Consideration of targeted patrols, improved lighting and CCTV, staff escorts or shuttle services, and additional secure parking; and
Examination of the response to reported assaults and the continuing concerns about repeat offending.
Hobart also needs a longer-term infrastructure response.
I have developed a concept proposal for the Domain Quarry, below the Domain Athletics Centre, as a combined workforce and mobility hub. It could provide secure and affordably priced multistorey parking within walking distance of the RHH and central Hobart, potentially accompanied by extended-hours childcare suitable for hospital and other shift workers.
Concentrating workers onto a well-lit, monitored and carefully designed pedestrian route would increase passive surveillance and the number of people travelling together at early and late hours. This could improve both safety and perceptions of safety. The facility could also support city workers during the week, Domain recreation and North Hobart activity after hours, and park-and-walk or shuttle services for the Macquarie Point stadium when it is constructed.
The State Government has already demonstrated the importance it places on hospital access by investing around $40 million in the new Launceston General Hospital multistorey car park. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works recorded a total allocation of $44 million, including temporary parking, for the project now delivering 474 spaces.
I ask the Government to consider an equivalent commitment of at least $40 million to investigate and develop the Domain Quarry as a secure parking and workforce-support facility for the RHH and central Hobart.
The Domain Quarry proposal remains a concept rather than a final design or Council-endorsed development. I am seeking a joint State-City process to test its feasibility, including its geotechnical, planning, transport, heritage, financial and operating requirements. Its shared-use model provides an opportunity to create an asset that serves hospital and city workers every day while also supporting major events and the future stadium.
I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and relevant ministers and officials to discuss both the immediate safety concerns and the Domain Quarry proposal.
The correspondence I received from Dr Philippa Cannan is reproduced in Attachment A.
Yours sincerely,
Cr Ryan Posselt
Hobart City Councillor
Paramedic
Reference: Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, Launceston General Hospital Charles and Howick Street Multistorey Car Park, Report No. 5 of 2025; Tasmanian Government, Construction begins on LGH multistorey carpark, 10 February 2026.