Media release – Guy Barnett, Minister for State Development, Construction and Housing, 24 March 2023
Labor’s rank hypocrisy on display at Macquarie Point inquiry
Tasmanian Labor are again showing that they are headline hunting hypocrites during today’s Public Accounts Committee inquiry into details of the proposed Arts, Entertainment and Sports Precinct at Macquarie Point.
“This project will literally be a game-changer for Tasmania and help secure our much sought-after AFL team and put Tasmania on the national and global map,’’ Minister Barnett said.
“It will support broader urban renewal activities across greater Hobart, with a flow-on effect across the city and state, bringing more housing, jobs, investment confidence and attracting events, business and tourism. It will allow attract hotel developments and provide conferencing facilities that Tasmania currently lacks.
“The project will also complement and integrate with the Antarctic Science Precinct to cement Hobart’s role as the gateway to the Antarctic, and be recognised across the world as a leading scientific hub for Antarctica.
“Perhaps embattled Labor leader Rebecca White wants Tasmanians to forget that less than two years ago (April 2021) it was Labor’s policy to build a 15,000-seat stadium in Hobart.
“Despite having no business case, no team, no site, no identified market and no idea of cost or design, Labor’s media release said: “Rebecca White said the stadium would be suitable to host professional football and rugby, along with helping attract other sporting and live music events to the state.’’
“The release goes on to say: “This stadium will be based in Hobart and will be capable of hosting events across a number of sports, along with potential for hosting large capacity concerts and events … a majority Labor Government will build one.’’
“And, to round it off, Labor didn’t bother submitting this policy to Treasury for election costings and independent analysis during the caretaker period.
“In contrast, our plan is accompanied by costings, a business case, a cost-benefit analysis, a market, an identified location and most importantly a team.
“This job creating, city shaping project also unlocks hundreds of millions of dollars in urban renewal, economic potential and jobs.
“However, for pure political expediency, Ms White and Labor have backflipped – if Hobart needed a new stadium for sports and major events in 2021, what has changed apart from chasing a cheap headline?
“At least the marginalised former leader David O’Byrne still stands by the need for a new stadium in Hobart and supports the vision of the Rockliff Liberal Government to transform the waterfront. In short, David O’Byrne supports the project, Rebecca White is against it. Labor are divided.
“And, Prime Minister Albanese has also spoken positively about the project and the Australian Government is actively considering the business case.
“As the Tasmanian Government has repeatedly said, if the Federal Government can spend billions knocking down and rebuilding the Gabba Stadium and also spend billions on new stadiums and facilities in Victoria, why shouldn’t Tasmania get its fair share of stadium infrastructure that would also secure our own AFL team.
“Labor continue to think small and hold Tasmania back. We’re backing Tasmania in to achieve great things.
“It is little wonder why Tasmanian Labor is under federal administration – one minute they promise to build a stadium and the next minute they oppose it for cheap political gain,’’ Minister Barnett said.
Everybody knows Tasmanian Labor stands for nothing – they have no policies, no vision and they would send the economy into recession just like they did in 2014 when they lost 10,000 jobs.
See Labor 2021 stadium policy statement here:
Rebecca White MP, Tasmanian Labor Leader, 24 March 2023
Liberals lying to Tasmanians over stadium
It’s disgusting that Tasmanians were never told the truth about the Government’s plans to build a billion-dollar stadium at Macquarie Point.
Jeremy Rockliff needs to explain how he thinks it was reasonable for him to pretend the stadium was not part of the bid for the license for so long when the Public Accounts Committee hearing today exposed the awful truth.
Jeremy Rockliff is on the record multiple times saying the stadium wasn’t part of the bid and independent reviewer Colin Carter is also on the public record saying Tasmania’s AFL bid should not be contingent on a stadium.
Guy Barnett’s disastrous performance in today’s stadium Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearing proves what a complete mess this issue has become.
Mr Barnett couldn’t answer simple questions about the stadium and at one stage lost his temper.
He couldn’t answer questions about how the stadium will support health and housing, like the Government has repeatedly claimed it will.
He couldn’t answer who will pay for the inevitable cost blow outs, but his department confirmed that under existing infrastructure arrangements the state government and the Tasmanian taxpayer would be on the hook.
He also couldn’t answer basic questions about the height of the stadium, how it will impact the cenotaph and why it needs a roof.
The whole issue is so dodgy that the AFL even helped Jeremy Rockliff write a letter from himself to AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan (see RTI documents 34 and 50) attached.
Tasmanians have been lied to by the government and the Premier about the stadium for too long. Tasmania deserves its own AFL and AFLW team but it shouldn’t come with stadiums and strings attached.
Editor’s note: The RTI documents were indeed attached. Unfortunately the file – it covers over 500 pages of documents – is too big to upload to TT. If anyone would like to see the file please email us and we’ll forward the PDF.
Cassy O’Connor MP, Greens Leader, 24 March 2023
More Questions Than Answers on Stadium
If this morning’s sworn testimony to the Public Accounts Committee of State Growth Secretary, Kim Evans, is true, then the Greens were lied to by Jeremy Rockliff in order to secure our support for the state’s AFL bid.
Mr Evans told PAC that, from day one, it was the AFL’s expectation that a new, greenfields stadium would be a prerequisite of Tasmania being granted an AFL license. Not only that, it now seems the State agreed to this condition long before Premier Jeremy Rockliff sought tri-partisan support for his government’s AFL bid.
In our discussions with the Premier about the Greens joining a tripartisan push for Tasmania to join the national league, we sought an assurance the stadium and the bid were not contingent on each other.
Jeremy Rockliff looked me in the eye in April, and then again in May, last year and said, ‘don’t worry Cass, the stadium is not part of the bid’.
It was on that basis we agreed to sign on, because we believe Tasmania deserves to be part of the national league, and because the AFL wanted to be sure there was tripartisan support and no sovereign risk to the license in the future.
We would not have signed up to the bid if it we knew a stadium was ‘a prerequisite’ set down by the AFL and Gill McLachlan – especially if we knew it had already been agreed to.
The AFL Taskforce, which handed down its report in December 2019, did not recommend a brand new stadium as a condition of the license.
The new stadium was cooked up between Gill McLachlan and Peter Gutwein, then Jeremy Rockliff, in secret.
The Premier also told Parliament last September the stadium was not part of the bid. Kim Evans indicated today it has been since the beginning.
Who is telling the truth here? Kim Evans in sworn testimony to PAC, or Jeremy Rockliff to Parliament?
The Greens remain fiercely, adamantly opposed to a new billion dollar stadium on nipaluna/Hobart’s waterfront.
Tasmania can’t afford and doesn’t need a new stadium.
