‘Pathway to prosperity’: Crunch time looms for Tasmanian stadium as order is tabled in parliament

The order for Tasmania’s $1.13 billion Macquarie Point stadium was tabled in the state’s parliament on Tuesday, setting up a pivotal vote within weeks.

The contentious proposal for a roofed stadium must be approved by Tasmanian parliament before the AFL will rubber-stamp the licence for the Tasmania Devils, the league’s 19th club hoping to join the competition in 2028.

The House of Assembly – the lower house – is expected to debate whether plans for the stadium, which have split the state, should go ahead.

While the order was tabled on Tuesday, the 35 members of the lower house, comprising 14 Liberal MPs and 10 Labor MPs, along with a mix of independents and smaller party representatives, are unlikely to debate the issue until November 13, when discussions over the state’s interim budget are completed.

The major parties — along with independent David O’Byrne – have supported the stadium’s construction.

Tasmania Treasurer and Macquarie Point Urban Renewal Minister Eric Abetz, said during question time on Tuesday that the stadium would be an “intergenerational investment”.

“The stadium will be of assistance for a pathway to prosperity for this state,” he said.

“I know what the polls tell us but, interestingly enough, in the younger demographic, in particular, there is huge support. So when this government goes about building the infrastructure for the future, we are, in fact, doing that which the younger cohort within our community is expecting and wanting us to do.”

But there is expected to be fiery debate when the order shifts to the Legislative Council – Tasmania’s upper house – on December 3 and 4.

The upper house features 15 members: three Labor MPs, three Liberal MPs and nine others. That means the order needs the support of at least three independents to pass.

The Greens’ Cassy O’Connor, along with independents Rosemary Armitage, Meg Webb and Mike Gaffney have already said they oppose the stadium. That leaves fellow independents Tania Rattray, Dean Harriss, Casey Hiscutt, Bec Thomas and Ruth Forrest with the balance of power.

If at least three do not support the stadium’s construction, the AFL may put the Devils on hold, or the league could even cancel the licence. If the stadium is approved, it’s likely to be put out for tender early next year.

Abetz said the stadium would be funded in part by large capital injections from others.

“It is unthinkable that Tasmanians would forego a $600 million injection into our economy courtesy of the federal Labor government and the AFL,” Abetz said.

“If we don’t go ahead with that stadium, $600 million that is coming our way will not be coming our way. Now, to get that $600 million to come our way, guess what, we’ve got to make our contribution as well.

“Will there be debt involved? Of course there will be. But if you took that sort of approach, you would never borrow money to make money.”

The state government has pledged $375 million in public funding for the project, with the remainder to be derived from money borrowed by the Macquarie Point Development Corporation.

The expected cost of the stadium has blown out by more than $100 million from the original estimate.

This comes at a time when the financially crippled state is headed for $13 billion worth of debt by 2028, the state’s Treasury Department reported.

In its September report, the Tasmanian Planning Commission was scathing of the expected construction costs, estimating that the government was likely to need $1 billion in debt, rising to $1.8 billion over the next decade.

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has repeatedly said a new stadium, complete with a roof, must be built if the club is to enter the league, although there is scope for the Devils to split home games between current venues in Launceston and Hobart in their inaugural season.

“There’s complexity, but there’s always complexity when you’re bringing in a new franchise, a new licence or a new club,” Dillon said in July.

“But I am really confident we’ll get there, and we’ll work with the Tasmanian government to make sure all the conditions of the licence are met, which includes there is a stadium with a capacity of 23,000, with a roof at Macquarie Point … as long as all those points are ticked, the licence becomes unconditional, and then we start at 2028.”

The Devils have more than 200,000 members and will field VFL and VFLW teams next season.

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