Media release – Eric Abetz, Minister for Business, Industry and Resources, 3 January 2025

Gruen report released

The Tasmanian Government has released the independent assessor’s report into the Macquarie Point Stadium.

The Report was undertaken by Dr Nicholas Gruen and in line with the agreement with the Jacquie Lambie Network.

Dr Gruen’s report provides his assessment of the Project.

We thank Dr Gruen for his work, and in preparing the report.

The Tasmanian Government is moving ahead delivering the Precinct, with a Market Sounding process now underway.

The transformation of Macquarie Point will shape Tasmania for generations, and unlock decades of investment, jobs, and opportunity.

The full report can be viewed here.



Media release – Miriam Beswick and Rebekah Pentland, 3 January 2025

SOBERING REPORT VINDICATES STADIUM SCEPTICISM

Northern independents Miriam Beswick and Rebekah Pentland have welcomed the report into the viability of a new Hobart stadium by Dr Nicholas Gruen.

“We’re very proud to have made the production this report part of our agreement with the Premier,” Mrs Pentland said.

“An independent assessment of the project was critical, and we thank Dr Gruen for his extensive work. He’s engaged with a broad range of stakeholders and delivered a crucial piece of work.

“Dr Gruen confirms the return on investment for Tasmanians simply doesn’t stack up.

“We support Tasmania having its own team in the AFL but not at any cost.

“The benefit-cost ratio of 44 cents in the dollar is not a good return for taxpayers.

“At a time when the state’s budget is in a precarious position, we can’t justify this expenditure. The State Government is writing cheques it can’t cash.”

Braddon independent Miriam Beswick says Dr Gruen’s report confirms the AFL is holding Tasmania to ransom.

“The AFL has made Tasmanian taxpayers pick up a bill we simply can’t afford,” Mrs Beswick said.

“Dr Gruen’s report confirms there are major problems when it comes to the cost, planning and location of the Macquarie Point stadium.

“This report should be a sobering read for the State Government and the Tasmanian public.

“It’s time for the State Government to take its blinkers off and look at exactly what it’s signing Tasmanians up to.

“It’s not too late for the Premier to take a deep breath and assess whether the stadium is truly in the state’s best interests.

“As independents we’ll be a voice for the thousands of Tasmanians who believe this project is not a priority for our state.”


Media release – Vica Bayley MP, Greens Treasury spokesperson, 3 January 2025

Government stadium report finds failure and folly

The report into the Rockliff Government’s Mac Point stadium by independent economist Nicholas Gruen finds a litany of major issues with the Macquarie Point stadium.

With our state in the midst of a housing crisis and so many critical problems in the health system, it’s always been clear to us that the stadium is absolutely the wrong priority. Now an expert report commissioned by the Rockliff government itself is ringing the alarm bells about how misguided this project is.

At its core this report confirms what the Greens and many others have been saying years – that the Premier signed a completely dud deal with the AFL, and that the stadium will cost over a billion dollars to build. This creates a huge risk to the state budget and will inevitably mean less funding for important health infrastructure and housing.

We’ve repeatedly heard Liberal politicians scoff at any suggestion there are issues with the stadium, but here the government’s own expert finds many. On top of exposing huge cost blowouts it also makes a mockery of Jeremy Rockliff’s claim that the cost to taxpayers can be capped as he promised. And it shows there will be much less benefit to the state than promised, highlights clear failures of process, and finds that Macquarie Point is the wrong site for the project.

This report clearly shows why this stadium should not be built, and we call on Liberals and Labor politicians to get their priorities straight and put a stop to it.

We desperately need more investment in health and housing, not over a billion dollars poured into a stadium that’s in the wrong place and that won’t bring the benefits that were promised.


Luke Edmunds MLC, Shadow Minister for Sport, 3 January 2025

Gruen report more evidence the Liberals can’t deliver

Today’s release of the Gruen report has raised serious questions about Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s ability to deliver the stadium he promised Tasmanians would be on time and on budget.

Labor wants to see a stadium built in Hobart because it will create jobs and opportunities for Tasmanians and deliver the AFL and AFLW sides the state deserves. We want to see it delivered on time and on budget, but for that to happen the project needs to be managed properly.

The evidence presented by Dr Gruen paints a picture of yet another project being mismanaged by the Liberals. The last thing Tasmania can afford is a repeat of the Spirits fiasco when it comes to the stadium, but many are rightly worried that’s exactly where we’re headed.

The report also leaves the Premier’s commitment of spending $375 million and “not a red cent more” in tatters.

It is extremely telling that the Government tried to sneak this report out during a period when many Tasmanians are still on holidays.

They owe it to Tasmanians to front up and answer the many questions it raises, and this morning I’ve written to Minister Abetz to request a briefing so we can get the full story.

Jeremy Rockliff staked his leadership on being able to deliver this project on time and budget but the more time that passes the more this is looking like the second coming of the ferries fiasco.


Media release – Our Place Hobart, 3 January 2025

OUR PLACE HOBART RESPONDS TO GRUEN REPORT ON STADIUM COST

Our Place Hobart has responded to the release of economist Nicholas Gruen’s report on the cost of the proposed stadium with a mixture of surprise and unsurprise.

Spokesperson Roland Browne said “We’ve been predicting the cost was well above $1billion for the last year. The surprise here is that the cost will be well above that figure.

This is a report commissioned by the Tasmanian government from one of Australia’s leading independent economists. We welcome his assessment that the project has understated costs, overstated benefits, and is in the wrong location. It vindicates community opposition to the ludicrous proposal.

At a cost of over $1billion, the government must abandon this vanity project. The state cannot afford it now, and in fact could not even afford it at $750m. We need this money for housing, hospitals, education and other essential government services.

This costing makes a lie of Premier Rockliff’s “not one cent more than $375m” pledge made at the commencement of his 2024 election campaign. If any evidence was needed to demonstrate that pledge to be a cynical and hollow lie, this is it. If evidence was needed to show the government’s costings for the stadium have been a deception from the word go, this is it.

And the government has known all along the cost would be massively more than the 2022 estimates of $750m. And that’s why they’ve tried to dupe the Tasmanian Planning Commission by only addressing the cost of the actual stadium building, and not the underground carpark, fit-out, access roads, associated infrastructure, and more.

The Planning Commission’s Integrated Assessment is now pointless, as the State cannot afford this project. It is an indictment on the government’s process, and highlights ongoing project mismanagement.

The Premier should abandon the project and work on healing community division and planning how he’s going to achieve AFLW and AFL teams for Tasmania, without any stadium at Mac Point, and without bankrupting the state. He should have done this in late 2022. If only he’d stood up to the AFL.