Media release – Dean Winter MP, Shadow Minister for Economic Development, 16 June 2023
Testimony of incoming AFL CEO proves that Jeremy Rockliff lied to the people of Tasmania
Testimony from incoming AFL CEO Andrew Dillon to a Public Accounts Committee hearing today has laid bare the lies that Jeremy Rockliff has told the people of Tasmania and the Parliament about when he agreed to a stadium as part of our bid for an AFL team.
The Public Accounts committee heard today that the Liberals agreed a stadium would be a condition for their bid in December 2021.
This echoes testimony given earlier this year by the Secretary of State Growth Kim Evans that the Liberals had agreed a stadium would be included in the bid ‘from day one’.
Yet as recently as 6 September 2022, Jeremy Rockliff was telling Parliament that the stadium was ‘not part of the licence bid’.
And this article from August 10 2022, on the AFL website no less, says:
Tasmania Premier Jeremy Rockliff has revealed it won’t form part of the formal proposal to be put before club presidents.
“The stadium is not part of our bid. But, of course the stadium is there to support AFL content in the future,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
There are now two people who have testified under oath to the Public Accounts Committee that Jeremy Rockliff’s statements last year were not true.
The Premier has lied to Parliament and to the Tasmanian people – and there are two very different stories on the public record.
This is a very serious matter, and Labor will hold him to account on Tuesday when Parliament resumes.
Meanwhile PulseFM reported that TasPorts closed Constitution Dock Bridge on Hobart’s waterfront to traffic on Thursday afternoon while ‘anti-stadium’ graffiti is removed.
TasPorts CEO Anthony Donald described the protest action as ‘dangerous’ and ‘irresponsible’.
“TasPorts was made aware of the incident early this morning and condemns the act,” he said.
It comes after the ‘Grassroots Action Network’ hung a No Stadium banner from the Hobart Gasworks last week, which was promptly removed.
