Website update – Macquarie Point Development Corporation, 18 September 2024
PoSS Application
The application for the development of the new Multipurpose Stadium at Macquarie Point has been submitted, marking the beginning of its assessment as a Project of State Significance.
The Tasmanian Planning Commission is assessing the proposal against its Integrated Assessment Guidelines, which consider factors such as land-use planning, environmental impacts, cultural and heritage considerations, transport and movement, and economic and social outcomes.
The submission includes a detailed 260-page Summary Report along with around 4,000 pages of supporting documentation.
The Multipurpose Stadium features a roofed design and function centre, designed with fan experience in mind.
Some key features
The Multipurpose Stadium will include:
- 23,000 seated capacity, with 1,500 additional spaces offering structured standing options
- 31,500 patron capacity for major concert events
- 1,500 person function room with views to both the field of play and toward kunanyi/Mt Wellington
- 159.5m x 128.5m oval field-of-play
- transparent fixed dome-shaped roof supported by steel and locally sourced and grown timber
- an elevated 360-degree internal concourse, as well as an external concourse
- an intimate seating bowl that will bring crowds closer to the action
- a concourse design that enables fans to see the field-of-play while waiting for food, drinks and to use amenities
- a serviced grandstand on the western side with three levels of functional space above the field.
The submission is available on the Tasmanian Planning Commission’s website here.
Media release – Jeremy Rockliff, Premier; Nic Street, Minister for Sport and Events, 18 September 2024
Significant milestone for the Macquarie Point multipurpose stadium
The Macquarie Point multipurpose stadium has reached a significant milestone with the Project of State Significance application submitted to the Tasmanian Planning Commission.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said today marks a significant milestone towards the redevelopment of the Macquarie Point precinct.
“We are one step closer to turning a wasteland into a hive of economic activity, hosting local, national and international sport, art and events,” Premier Rockliff said.
“It will create thousands of jobs during construction and will showcase the very best of Tasmanian hospitality and tourism once delivered.”
Minister for Sport and Events, Nic Street, said we have a unique opportunity to deliver something very special at Macquarie Point for the people of Tasmania, and we are getting on with the job.
“The submission has been prepared over the past six months and I commend the hard work of the Macquarie Point Development Corporation,” Minister Street said.
“I know that countless hours have gone into developing the submission and I thank all those involved in the process.
“The submission will now be assessed by the Tasmanian Planning Commission in accordance with the integrated assessment guidelines published earlier this year.
“Through our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future, the Tasmanian Government is investing in transformational infrastructure projects for our state, one of which is Macquarie Point.
“It will grow our economy, create local jobs, both during construction and after it is built, and it will deliver the AFL and AFLW teams Tasmanians have been wanting for decades.
“Our funding to this project is capped at $375 million, and we know for that investment we will be able to deliver something truly world-class.
“Our stadium will be uniquely Tasmanian and this is something we are extremely proud of.”
Media release – Jeremy Rockliff, Premier; Catherine King, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, 18 September 2024
Macquarie point Precinct Plan
The Macquarie Point precinct has reached a significant milestone, with the Australian Government accepting the Tasmanian Government’s precinct plan.
The Tasmanian Government has also submitted part of its plan for Stage 1 of the Precinct – the multipurpose stadium – to the Tasmanian Planning Commission.
The Australian Government’s acceptance of the precinct plan is a milestone of the funding agreement between the state and federal governments.
The Tasmanian Government has delivered on its commitment to include housing, transport options, stakeholder engagement and include the wharf redevelopment within the Macquarie Point Precinct Plan.
The Multipurpose Stadium is part of Stage 1 of implementing the Macquarie Point Precinct Plan.
With the Precinct Plan in place, work is underway to develop a masterplan to deliver on the redevelopment and urban renewal of the precinct.
Moving forward a key priority for the partnership between the Australian and Tasmanian Governments will be the development of a housing plan to inform the development of the Residential Development and Public Foreshore Zone.
We will continue to work together to ensure the potential of the Macquarie Point precinct become a reality for Tasmania.
Quotes attributable to Tasmanian Premier, Jeremy Rockliff:
“The Macquarie Point redevelopment provides a unique opportunity to deliver something very special for the people of Tasmania.
“The multipurpose stadium has been submitted to the Project of State Significance process, enabling it to be independently assessed.
“Building on the remediation and work that has been done on site, this project will be a catalyst for the redevelopment and urban renewal of Macquarie Point, turning the site into a hub of economic activity showcasing world-class sport, art and events.
“This game-changing project will allow Tasmania to realise its decades-long AFL dream, while generating hundreds of millions in economic activity during construction and tens of millions each year thereafter.
“We will continue to work with the Australian Government on this economy-boosting, job-creating project.”
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King:
“This is the first step in our Federation Funding Agreement to progress the Macquarie Point Precinct together.
There is still work to be done to deliver a precinct can deliver both economic opportunities and create a more vibrant Hobart.
“I look forward to receiving the Tasmanian Government’s stakeholder report in coming months to understand how local views shape more detailed planning processes.”
Vica Bayley MP, Greens Treasury spokesperson, 18 September 2024
Stadium Cost Blowouts Begin
The inevitable cost blowouts for the Liberals’ Macquarie Point stadium have begun, with a cool $115 million already added to the price tag years before construction is set to commence.
And the cover up games for cost blowouts have begun too, with claims the stadium will now cost $775 million a furphy given the government’s documents show there will also be another $55 million spent on kitchen fit outs, audio visual services, LED advertising, CCTV, and a PA system.
The Greens have said from day one there was no way this project could be built for $715 million. But Premier Jeremy Rockliff repeatedly claimed he’d be managing this project “within an inch of its life” to make sure it didn’t cost any more. Well Jeremy, we hate to say we told you so.
What makes this cost blowout even worse are the terms of the dud deal the Premier signed with the AFL. This agreement makes Tasmanian taxpayers responsible for every cent of budget blowouts for the stadium.
This $115 million blowout is completely unsurprising. It’s also just the tip of the iceberg. Things are only going to get worse as we move into the construction phase.
We know the cost of major infrastructure projects – including stadiums – across the country are blowing out by huge margins. That’s why Tasmania’s own Treasury department has identified the stadium as a major expenditure risk.
If the Liberals had their priorities right, they’d ditch the stadium and put the money into houses, hospitals, and schools instead.
Media release – Our Place, 18 September 2024
STADIUM DESIGN CONFIRMS WORST FEARS
Our Place spokesperson Roland Browne has described the latest plans for Macquarie Point stadium as terrifying.
“We predicted it would blow out on cost and even before they start building, it’s gone up 8%—and it won’t be the last time or the biggest blowout. It’s just the beginning of a growing nightmare of debt.
The government hasn’t turned a shovel of dirt and the cost is already blowing out from Jeremy ‘Not One Red Cent More’ Rockliff’s $715 million to now $775 million—an increase of $60 million worth of fewer nurses, teachers and homes for Tasmanians.
And when we add in: kitchen and food and beverage fit outs ($14.3 m), audio visual services such as TVs ($26.3 m); LED ribbon advertising ($7.8 m) and CCTV, PA system ($6.8 m) it totals $830.2 million. See page 17 KPMG analysis at Appendix G.
The massive stadium debt is only going to get a lot, lot worse and Tasmanians are already paying for it all with worsening health, education and housing outcomes in consequence of Michael ‘Jetty’ Ferguson’s ‘efficiency dividend’. Look out next for the coming stadium taxes: with increased land tax, tax on rates, and increased payroll tax to pay for this catastrophe.
What is even worse, is that the government has not released the quantity surveyors’ report which would tell us more about likely cost blowouts. What the hell are they hiding?’
Not only that, but we now have a plan for three storeys of underground car parking. Who is going to pay the countless millions for the major new road around the Cenotaph? You guessed it —Tasmanians again with their jobs and the coming stadium taxes.
Why should people accept ‘an event travel behaviour campaign’ where people wanting to travel over the Tasman Bridge will need to divert to the Bowen Bridge? Is the government serious? And this is just for the ‘base case’.
For larger events it gets much worse with car numbers exceeding the capacity of the Tasman Bridge and the Brooker Highway (p31 of Appendix N). Travel time will be up to 14 minutes to get from Rosny Hill to the Brooker Hwy. And that assumes no breakdowns or other incidents. It is a recipe for congestion and conflict.
Where is a politician in the Liberal or Labor parties with the guts to say this is a madness that has to stop?”
Ted Mead
September 18, 2024 at 22:51
Usually, in the construction process, costs don’t begin to blow-out until building work commences – but not in this case which is therefore a fair indication that the entire stadium project cost has been much underestimated in its preliminary planning. As each month passes, these guestimates are going to increase well beyond the token figure of $750 million, and that figure probably doesn’t include administration and planning, and the relocation of the sewerage infrastructure.
In engineering it is standard practice that when the estimated costs have been finally calculated, you then essentially double them for a realistic expenditure! So it seems inevitable that Tasmanian taxpayers will be forking out twice the sum that the Liberals have projected, and furthermore that many costs will certainly be cleverly hidden or reallocated through other means.
Given the politicians’ supporting numbers in Parliament, the stadium project seems a certainty – unless a financial crisis manifests that even an incumbent government can’t ignore. Then after years of profligacy, when construction finally grinds to halt, the stadium’s exoskeleton may then become Hobart’s next art installation!
Eat your heart out, MONA!
Rodney Maier
September 20, 2024 at 12:06
I’m not impressed that nobody seems to have mentioned that a substantial underground carpark is also a part of the project. The location of the carpark on the plans suggest that it’s almost underwater, and therefore that it’s likely to become a significant engineering task in itself.
I’m now looking forward to keeping an eye on the cost of this part of the project.
Roderick
September 21, 2024 at 12:49
I also, wondered about the latest revelation of the underground car park!
Well, the still-proposed stadium has been touted as the world’s largest timber-roofed stadium, and I suppose the proposed underground car park may be touted as the world’s first underwater car park – so many exciting firsts from so many zeros!
It’s little wonder that the politicians recite the Lord’s Prayer before each parliamentary sitting – and the people ask the Lord to save us from this parliament.
Next – the parliament should rise in unison and sing a hearty rendition of God save our gracious Queen, long live our noble Queen – God save the Queen … and our toxic stadium, rivers, salmon, soils, water, farms, mines, and industries in our clean and brown Tasmania.
Hallelujah!
Roderick
September 21, 2024 at 22:06
I recently read in a News Ltd newspaper that a man described as a “master coach” had said “Here is a beautiful opportunity, whether you love football or not, to develop a stadium and find a path to economic prosperity that hasn’t been found in this state for 100 years”.
I must ask how he came to this conclusion .. is he an economist? Is he a historian ? Could he be an economic historian football master coach?
The headline of the article is “Stadium of Century” and then “Clarko says arena could send economy into stratosphere.” I assume he means stratospherical debt.
Do not mind the experts – just believe the footballers?
Ted Mead
September 23, 2024 at 02:16
Roderick, history shows us that a poor business model is not a good model.
I remember the mega-dollars that the AFL spent on building that white elephant of a stadium over at Waverley, Victoria. It ultimately became a dismal failure, and a classic visionless example of building a stadium in the wrong location.
So it seems that history wants to repeat itself on Macquarie Point, but this time it will be the Tasmanian taxpayers who will lose out monumentally.
Rodney
September 23, 2024 at 09:25
“The worlds largest timber roof.”!
A close look at some of the supplied images suggests it’s actually a steel-beamed roof with some pieces of timber bolted to the steel. It’s hard to tell if wood is there for any structural benefit, or if it’s there just for looks.
Ted Mead
September 23, 2024 at 11:54
Rodney, the stadium roof structure will definitely be constructed of steel, with proposed timber cladding for aesthetics only. As much as the likes of the Liberals and Labor want to use as much of Tassie’s timber (old growth forests) for the structure, it’s not going to happen!
The entire span of the roof will be a fabricated welded, and/or bolted steel framework, which, when completed, will be a self-supporting dome, most likely clad in some form of polycarbonate material.
To build such a dome structure out of timber is a pipe dream considering the short spans of locally milled timber and the nearby unavailability of laminated beam fabrication these days. Furthermore, steel construction is by far cheaper and quicker, and the tensile strength of steel far out-weighs the complexities of joining timber sections onsite – which would still require extensive steel connectors anyway. The expense in cladding the roof frame structure in timber, albeit hardwood or plantation, would be enormous, and would be the first step the project abandons as a measure of the inevitable cost cutting.
No doubt STT, and the likes of Eric, have been lobbying the designers to utilise as much of Tassie’s timber as possible.
It’s just another folly in the making!
Roderick
September 23, 2024 at 17:33
The ABC comedy series, “The Games”, was about the organising committee, the department and the minister for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and it reminds me so much of the farcical Macquarie Point football stadium proposal.
Just imagine how much better it would be if the PoT (Premier of Tasmania) and his government, and the feeble Opposition, devoted as much energy to solving the health and housing crises in Tasmania instead of displaying a ludicrous desire to enable a football team.
Unlike The Games, these clowns are serious!