City of Hobart adopts new dog rules after South Hobart Oval debate

The City of Hobart adopted a new Dog Management Policy for 2026-2031 at its 23 February meeting, after councillors worked through public submissions and a disputed push to widen off-lead access at South Hobart Oval. The council also resolved that a fenced off-lead dog park at Lower Wellesley Park, South Hobart, be built for $180,000 and used by 1 July 2026.

Councillors adopted the policy under the Dog Control Act 2000, noted the public submissions received during consultation and declared the areas listed in the agenda attachments. The notified declared areas will take effect 20 business days after public notice is published and remain in force for five years.

The sharpest debate centred on South Hobart Oval. Cr Lohberger and Cr Bloomfield moved an amendment that would have allowed off-lead dog exercise on weekdays between 5am and 11am, except on match days and when the oval was closed for preparation, maintenance, repair or booked use. The amendment was lost.

Council then worked through a separate amendment process on the declared areas. It voted to adopt the content of Attachment C, excluding the section referencing South Hobart Oval, then voted again to adopt the remaining South Hobart Oval material. The resolution says the city will notify the amended declared areas and report back after the required advertising period.

For dog owners, Hobart now has a five-year policy governing dog management across the city. The proposed weekday off-lead access at South Hobart Oval did not pass. Instead, the council backed a fenced off-lead dog park at Lower Wellesley Park in South Hobart, funded through the 2025/26 capital works program.

The meeting also dealt with other city business. Councillors endorsed submissions on the Macquarie Point Northern Access Road concept design assessment and the draft Southern Tasmania Regional Land Use Strategy, noted the Mount Nelson Local Area Mobility Plan, and backed a letter to LGAT and the Federal Minister about second-generation rodenticides, along with a community awareness campaign to discourage their use.

A motion on Hobart City Council meeting times was deferred to a workshop after a proposal to cap ordinary meetings at 8.30pm and impose adjournment rules was not decided on the night. Councillors also carried an amendment authorising the CEO to negotiate with the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens about land transfer and report back.