A promise from Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff to cap spending on the Macquarie Point AFL stadium, in a bid to cool criticism of the project as the state election campaign begins, has seen critics declare it dead.
After calling the early poll for March 23, Liberal leader Rockliff moved to guarantee the state wouldn’t pay a cent more than the $375 million it is currently budgeted to spend on the 23,000-seat roofed stadium, of the total $715 million.
Given the track record of most major projects around the country running over budget, Rockliff – who has been the strongest supporter of the stadium in a state torn over whether it should spend the money elsewhere amid a cost-of-living crisis and health system concerns – made the commitment in a bid to counteract the major criticism of his plan.
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“I recognise that this project is not everyone’s cup of tea and that some Tasmanians would prefer that this money was spent in different areas,” the Premier said.
“I also understand that there are concerns in the community that the final cost of the stadium could significantly increase, leaving Tasmanian taxpayers with a large, unbudgeted bill.
“Therefore … a re-elected majority Rockliff Liberal government will cap Tasmanian government capital expenditure on the Macquarie Point Stadium at the currently budgeted $375m – and not one red cent more.”
The AFL has pledged $15 million for the venue while a $240 million federal government commitment may also be needed for the development of the wider precinct.
It’s therefore uncertain how the stadium would be funded if the cost increases, with one backer of a rival proposal saying the current plan will really cost around $1.2 billion. Private investors have been floated as a solution though it is unclear how much they would be willing to commit.
“This is a political fix and it means the end of the stadium, because the agreement he (Rockliff) signed with the AFL transferred all the risk to the state,” Roland Browne, spokesman for anti-stadium Our Place Hobart, told News Corp.
“He’s had the best part of a year to resolve funding for the stadium. That he attempts to do it on the first day of an election campaign is both embarrassing and ludicrous.
“There is no prospect of any private capital going into this unplanned, unfunded, and wrongly sited stadium.”
The AFL reaffirmed on Thursday under the terms of the deal struck with the Tasmanian government “the team is conditional on a new 23,000 seat roofed stadium at Macquarie Point” ahead of its planned 2028 launch.
Tasmania Football Club executive director Kath McCann has confirmed the planned reveal of the team’s name, colours and identity will happen on March 18 – the week before the election.
The Labor opposition insists it fully supports Tasmania getting a team but has been heavily critical of the plan, saying it puts too much of the risk on the state’s shoulders.
Labor leader Rebecca White has said she would renegotiate the deal if her party wins power, in what’s almost certain to be a minority government given the expansion of the Tasmanian parliament and the split nature of the electorate between the major parties plus the Greens and the Jacqui Lambie Network.
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“The Tasmanian Labor Party 100 per cent supports us getting our own team and that will not be put at risk under a Labor Government,” White said on Wednesday.
“But we can also see it is such a bad deal that Jeremy Rockliff has signed with the AFL.
“He failed to stand up for Tasmanians, he’s failed to get a deal for us that really protects Tasmanians’ interests and delivers a team.
“A Labor Government would negotiate the deal with the AFL. It’s evident to everybody you can’t build a stadium at Macquarie Point for that price and in the timeline the Premier has said we can.
“I’ve been very upfront about this for nearly two years now. That Labor doesn’t think a stadium is the right priority for our state, we also don’t believe it can be built on that site, for that price and in that time frame.
“I think the AFL are also coming to realise that and I’m very keen to sit down and work with them to make sure we keep our dream of having a team.
“It would be pretty terrible of the AFL to rip that out of Tasmanians’ hands now.”
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