Media release – Shane Broad MP, Shadow Treasurer, 28 September 2022
Tasmanian Liberal Party divided on new Hobart stadium
Jeremy Rockliff is now the Member for Braddon in name only, with his priorities firmly set on building a $750 million stadium in Hobart.
The state Liberal Members from the North and North-West need to outline to the people of Bass and Braddon where their priorities lie.
Do they prioritise easing the cost of living, improving health care and providing a roof over people’s heads for their community, or a second major stadium in Hobart?
The Tasmanian Liberal Party is becoming more divided on the controversial new $750 million stadium set to be built in Hobart at Macquarie Point.
Federal Liberal Member for Bass Bridget Archer has stated that she does not believe that taxpayers should be paying for a new stadium, while veteran Liberal advisor Brad Stansfield has labelled it ‘madness’.
Yesterday in question time Jeremy Rockliff refused to even utter the word ‘stadium’, meekly referring to it as ‘infrastructure’, as if the Tasmanian people would not notice.
It truly was a Faulty Towers “don’t mention the war” moment in Tasmania’s House of Assembly.
There is clear division among the Tasmanian Liberal Party on the proposed stadium in Hobart. Today the North and North-West members need to explain why they support a stadium that Tasmanians don’t want.
Media release – Josh Willie MLC, Shadow Minister for Education and Early Years, 28 September 2022
Education behind stadium on Liberals’ priorities list
The Liberal government has reaffirmed its commitment to a stadium over the needs of Tasmanians, ignoring educators’ concerns about conditions in our schools.
Overworked and underpaid school staff were forced to take stop-work action today because this government refuses to take seriously their concerns about support for students, workloads, staff shortages and competitive pay.
After avoiding school staff protesting outside Parliament this morning, the Premier Jeremy Rockliff was given numerous opportunities in Question Time to commit to better resourcing in our schools.
Instead, he and his Education Minister Roger Jaensch continued their meaningless rhetoric about investing in infrastructure to grow the economy, and reeling off statistics about what they’ve done, while describing today’s last-ditch stop-work action as unnecessary.
Meanwhile, they have not committed to fund a single measure in the Teachers Log of Claims and Plan for Lifting Learning and refuse to even consider decent pay increases for teachers and other public sector workers.
The Premier’s stubborn pursuit of a $750 million stadium most Tasmanians don’t want while refusing to act on educators’ concerns shows how twisted his priorities are.
Tasmanians are telling Mr Rockliff to focus on real priorities like education, health and the cost of living. It is beyond time the Premier listened.
Media release – Anita Dow MP, Shadow Health Minister, 28 September 2022
Liberals fund stadium over hospital in crisis
The Liberal government continues to show complete disregard for Tasmanians’ health and wellbeing as they push on with spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer funds on a new stadium in Hobart instead of addressing the real issues affecting Tasmanians.
This government promised at the last state election that it would completely redevelop the Launceston General Hospital.
But, 18 months on, there has been little progress on the LGH redevelopment as the Premier and part-time Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff obsesses instead over a $750 million stadium in Hobart that Tasmanians neither need nor want.
The LGH has the worst bed block in the country, paramedics have been forced to take industrial action over ramping and patients are waiting an average of 600 days to see a specialist.
Tasmanians don’t want reckless spending on a stadium in Hobart. They want a government that has its priorities right, addressing the crises in health, housing, education and the cost of living.
Media release – Dean Winter MP, Leader of Opposition Business in the House of Assembly, 28 September 2022
Premier’s own ministers fail to support new stadium
The Liberal Government has today revealed how divided it is over the Premier’s plan to build a $750 million stadium in Hobart.
While some members of the Liberal Government defended their support for the stadium, including Treasurer Michael Ferguson and Simon Wood, others refused.
Despite his showboating and bravado, under questioning, Felix Ellis failed to support for the new stadium.
Guy Barnett also stood up and refused to support the new stadium.
The Tasmanian Liberal Party is becoming more divided on the controversial new $750 million stadium set to be built in Hobart at Macquarie Point.
Media release – Cassy O’Connor MP, Greens Leader, 27 September 2022
What Happened to Rockliff’s Government of Heart?
What ever happened to Jeremy Rockliff’s promise he would lead a government of heart?
The Premier continues to insist on his plan to build an unnecessary $750 million plus football stadium – despite massive community backlash, and the clear need for these funds to be spent in ways that will truly benefit struggling Tasmanians.
The reality of Tasmania today is tens of thousands of people suffering real hardship due to this Government’s refusal to properly invest in healthcare and housing, and the dedicated staff who hold those systems together.
Tasmanians are sleeping in tents because they can’t find a home; suffering for months or years while waiting for much-needed surgery. Tragically, people are dying while waiting for ambulances or ramped outside Emergency Departments.
We’re also seeing industrial action from essential workers across the public sector, who are not only calling for fair pay and conditions, but also for the resources they require to do their jobs properly.
But rather than trying to fix the significant issues facing Tasmania, the Premier’s biggest priority is pouring huge sums of public funds into a football stadium we don’t even need.
For the sake of this island and its people, we hope he sees the light soon and walks away from his stadium folly.
