Media release – Eric Abetz, Minister for Business, Industry and Resources, 20 January 2025

Private sector shows strong interest in the Macquarie Point Precinct

The Tasmanian Liberal Government is encouraged by the strong, positive interest expressed by local, national and international market players who want to participate in the Market Sounding Process for the Macquarie Point Precinct.

The Market Sounding Process will investigate opportunities to harness private sector investment and innovation on procurement and delivery options for the Precinct.

Registrations of Interest closed on Friday, 17 January and includes consortiums, tier-one construction firms and major equity investors.

Minister for Business, Industry and Resources, Eric Abetz, welcomed the interest, saying that it demonstrates the potential of such a precinct.

“This project will unlock decades of economic investment, jobs, and opportunity, which is why we sought feedback from those interested in working with the Tasmanian Government on this landmark project,” Minister Abetz said.

“It will create a bustling precinct for all Tasmanians and visitors to enjoy, and we need a team of innovators who have the capability to deliver on our ambitious vision supported by our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future.

“The transformation of the Macquarie Point precinct will shape Tasmania for generations, and it’s clear that the private sector is showing genuine interest to get involved in this game-changing project.”

Market Sounding is the first step in considering a private partner to activate the Macquarie Point Precinct and is used prior to the commencement of a formal procurement process.


Media release – Our Place – Hobart, 21 January 2025

OUR PLACE RESPONDS TO MINISTER ABETZ’S COMMENTS ON PROPOSED PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

Our Place – Hobart has responded to Minster Abetz’s comments trumpeting public private partnerships for the Macquarie Point Stadium.

Spokesperson Roland Browne said Eric Abetz’s announcement of what Mr Abetz termed “strong, positive interest’ by the private market in investing in the Macquarie Point stadium showed the government of Premier Rockliff and Minister for Business, Industry and Resources, Mr Abetz, had learnt nothing from the Gruen Report and was really a case of dumb and dumber.

“It’s unlikely Minister Abetz has even read the Gruen report.”

“Having been exposed by the Gruen report as fundamentally mismanaging the stadium process, incurring substantial cost blowouts to the point where the stadium will now cost over a billion dollars, and hiding both the real costs and exaggerating the economic benefits, the government is now going to do exactly what the Gruen Report said they should not do: set up a private partnership.”

“Dr Gruen could not have been clearer: he explicitly warned that the ‘adoption of inefficient partnerships’ was not in the best interests of the Tasmanian taxpayer, because ‘this apparent saving’ will end up ‘costing the government more than it saves’.”

“Will the private partnership meet national guidelines as Dr Gruen recommended? You can guarantee it won’t. This is the same government that forgot to build the jetty for the Bass Strait ferries, with a north-west based Premier, having driven over the Devonport bridge hundreds of times during the years when construction was supposedly underway, failing to notice that there was nothing there. And so, we the taxpayers will pay yet again for their incompetence and utter irresponsibility, only this time we will pay with health, housing and job cuts that will be felt for decades.”


Media release – Josh Willie MP, Shadow Treasurer, 17 January 2025

Will Eric Abetz condemn Brendan Blomeley’s comments today?

The silence from Eric Abetz since his right-hand man Brendan Blomeley launched a broadside on Premier Jeremy Rockliff has become deafening.

In the wake of Leonie Hiscutt breaking party rules and campaigning against the Premier and government while remaining Leader of Government Businesses and a Liberal MLC, the Clarence Mayor offered a frank assessment of the Premier’s leadership. “He’s weak, and he is pathetic, and he needs to go,” Mr Blomeley said. I wonder who Mr Blomeley would like to see as Premier?

The easiest way for Minister Abetz to extinguish growing speculation surrounding his leadership ambitions would be to condemn Mr Blomeley’s fierce attack. Despite having ample opportunity, he hasn’t.

Blomeley and Abetz are as thick as thieves and there’s no way he would have been so forthright if Minister Abetz didn’t want him to be.

Minister Abetz has another opportunity today to declare his full confidence in the Premier and rule out a leadership challenge – will he take it?