‘The hardest decision I’ve ever had to make’: Devils, stadium to get the green light from parliament

The proposed new Macquarie Point stadium – and the AFL’s newest club, the Tasmania Devils – are all but a reality after securing the votes needed to proceed.

After a dramatic afternoon in the Tasmanian upper house, three independents – Bec Thomas, Casey Hiscutt and Dean Harriss – confirmed they would vote yes for the stadium, while Tania Rattray, also an independent, strongly indicated she would also vote yes.

That adds to the three Liberals and two Labor MPs who have previously declared their support for the $1.13 billion roofed stadium – a condition of the Devils’ entry into the national competition in 2028.

For the stadium proposal to pass the Legislative Council, the government needed at least eight of the chamber’s 15 votes. They now appear to have nine, but a final vote is not likely until Thursday afternoon.

With approval for the stadium all but locked in, Devils chief executive Brendon Gale and the AFL can push ahead with coaching, administrative and player signings ahead of the club joining both the AFL and AFLW in 2028.

Thomas’ vote had been pivotal for both sides, and she was emotional when delivering her speech in parliament.

“This has been the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make,” Thomas said.

“With all my heart I have wanted to support this project. But I remain deeply aware of the community’s mixed feelings about it. Many Tasmanians are worried about the cost, location, and whether the benefits will truly flow to local people. Those concerns are valid.

“All the public focus has been on who will back the stadium. For me, the question has been under what conditions could it possibly earn support. That’s why my support for the project is strictly conditional on economic, governance, design and community safeguards that seek to protect the welfare of Tasmanians.”

In confirming his support for the stadium, Harriss said: “A vote against the order is likely to result in a withdrawal of the Devils licence and the end of the AFL dream.

“There have been plenty of analogies bandied around but I can’t help thinking the one most appropriate was President Kennedy’s 1961 announcement that America would put man on the moon.

“I see the Tasmania Devils as our moon walk and the stadium, warts and all, as the way to get there.”

Harriss last month questioned whether the state could afford the stadium after the treasury department estimated the state’s overall debt will top $13 billion by 2028.

Rattray, in her speech in parliament on Wednesday, said the stadium was about “creating a legacy that future generations would thank us for”.

Hiscutt said his endorsement went beyond “the fear of the unknown and the unease of change”.

“I hear a lot of people saying we have earned a team or we deserve a team — and those statements are true,” he said.

“However, the AFL is a business, and it does not work on words like ‘earned’ or ‘deserved’, it works on words like ‘long-term sustainability’ and ‘profitability’.

“It has determined that the deal struck between the AFL and the Premier satisfies their needs in this regard. But to use emotion to dictate that this will be renegotiated is farcical at best and duplicity at worst.”

Fellow independent Ruth Forrest maintained her opposition to the stadium.

“I cannot support a project that fails basic planning tests, violates the government’s own investment criteria and will drain economic activity through debt servicing while generating uncertain returns,” Forrest said.

“I am firmly of the view the AFL would not walk away, and we should not be basing a ‘yes’ vote on the fear they will. I will never bow to the pressure of an external party, especially one which always acts in its own interests.”

The Greens’ Cassy O’Connor also rejected the plan, and ditched her pre-planned speech after realising the stadium had won the required support.

“We know now how the vote will almost certainly go. So laying out all the evidence — the irrefutable, independent, expert evidence — for why this order should be resoundingly rejected seems moot now,” O’Connor said.

Labor will deliver at least two votes in favour of the project and, most likely, three, given there now appears to be no deadlock. Craig Farrell is president of the upper house and, in cases where a vote is tied, the president traditionally votes in the negative.

The federal government has committed $240 million to the stadium and the AFL $15 million, while the state must borrow the remainder, adding to fears the financially crippled state will be buried in debt.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff, who signed the AFL contract, conceded this week he was nervous about the vote.

The AFL has maintained it will only award a 19th licence should the stadium be approved. If approved, the Devils will split their home games in their maiden season between the current stadiums in Hobart and Launceston while the new venue is built.

Thomas, a former mayor, said she had secured the government’s commitment to safeguards including a fixed cost cap on the state’s contribution of $875 million, an independent watchdog – as part of the project governance and oversight – and restoring participation funding at grassroots levels.

Thomas also wants the government to increase the funding pool for community sport infrastructure to $105 million over four years, and adopt a sport infrastructure plan and framework for government investment in sport.

The new club has yet to appoint a men’s senior coach, but Collingwood great Nathan Buckley – one of the favourites – said this week he would keep a close eye on the vote.

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