Media release – Helen Burnet, Greens MHA for Clark, 4 February 2025
More Stadium Embarrassment for Liberals
“In an embarrassing development, the Rockliff Government has once again been schooled by the Tasmanian Planning Commission (TPC) on its application to build a stadium.
“The government had been trying to exclude essential pieces of enabling infrastructure from the stadium’s assessment. But they’ve been left with egg on their face, with the Commission saying the access road, pedestrian bridge and bus facilities are all requirements for the project and must be added to the Project of State Significance application.
“Then there’s the Goods Shed, which has to be moved for the stadium to be built, but had inexplicably been left out of the project application too. The TPC says this will need to be corrected, with the relocation to form part of their assessment.
“It’s remarkable that information for so many key parts of the stadium project have still not been provided to the Planning Commission. Is it incompetence or is the government trying to game the system?”
Cassy O’Connor MLC – Member for Hobart
“If the Liberals thought they could pull a swiftie and not provide basic information about the stadium project to the Planning Commission, they can think again. Clearly the TPC is set on making sure they play ball.
“It beggars belief that the government lacks the expertise to submit relevant information to the Tasmanian Planning Commission – especially given the enormous funding allocated to the stadium project. It’s also utterly unreasonable for the government to expect the TPC to assess their stadium application without this essential information.
“The Rockliff Government are displaying a laughably cart-before-horse approach to the proposed Mac Point stadium. Their pig-headed arrogance is putting our hard-earned teams at risk.
“They need to listen to Nicholas Gruen, heed their own AFL Taskforce report and go back to the drawing board before they inevitably fail football-loving Tasmanians.”
Media release – Our Place Hobart, 3 February 2025
Our Place responds to Planning Commission’s recent meeting with Macquarie Point Development Corporation executives
Our Place’s spokesperson Roland Browne has accused the Macquarie Point Development Corporation (MPDC) of staggering incompetence in its recent dealings with the Tasmanian Planning Commission (TPC) over the proposed Macquarie Point Stadium.
“As is fitting for the Rockliff government – which forgot to build a jetty for new ferries – the MPDC seems completely ignorant of its responsibilities as developer of the stadium under the Project of State Significance process.”
In November 2024 the TPC was forced to send the MPDC an extraordinary request for the very information that should have been included in the proposal from the beginning. The MPDC is yet to respond.
Instead, the MPDC went back to the TPC and at a meeting on 17 January 2025 asked such basic questions of the assessment process that the TPC had to produce a document explaining the scope of the assessment process to MPDC.
Mr Browne said: “This is extraordinary. It shows MPDC, and State Growth, are completely out of their depth with this project. What TPC has told them is what was obvious from the statutory scheme. It appears neither MPDC, nor State Growth, have looked at the scheme, or, if they have, they fail to understand it.
“It also appears MPDC are naively questioning the breadth of the TPC’s assessment. And the TPC has even needed to explain to MPDC the assessment will be as broad as the TPC requires it to be, in the circumstances. That will include an assessment of all the components of the project, including the components MPDC has sought to obscure, such as the 3 storey underground carpark and the massive northern access road to the site.
“Even worse, the same government that paid AFL luminary Alistair Clarkson $100,000 for a report he never produced, has committed $65 million for consultants for the project and yet the MPDC seems to not have clue about what it is meant to do to get its proposed stadium through the assessment process.”
“Is it arrogance? Or is it incompetence so typical of the Rockliff government? One thing is for sure: Jeremy Rockliff has the reverse Midas touch—everything he touches falls apart. And so too will this stadium.”
The meeting notes and document explaining the scope of the TPC assessment, recently released by the TPC, can be found here—
Media release – independent MHAs Miriam Beswick and Rebekah Pentland, 4 February 2025
INDEPENDENTS MIRIAM BESWICK AND REBEKAH PENTLAND BACK CITY OF HOBART’S CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY ON MACQUARIE POINT STADIUM
Independent members, Miriam Beswick and Rebekah Pentland, have reaffirmed their concerns about the Macquarie Point Multipurpose Stadium Project, following a formal letter from Hobart Lord Mayor Cr Anna Reynolds, outlining the City of Hobart’s serious reservations about the project’s planning and transparency.
The letter, endorsed by the Council on 11 November 2024, highlights significant gaps in essential infrastructure planning, including:
- The Northern Access Road,
- The Collins Street Active Travel Bridge,
- An event bus plaza, and
- The reconfiguration of the 47 Hunter Street carpark.
Mrs Pentland echoed the Council’s concern that failing to include the Collins Street Active Travel Bridge could force the closure of two lanes on Davey Street during major events, causing severe traffic disruptions in Hobart’s CBD.
“The City of Hobart is raising serious and valid concerns, and the Government needs to listen. Right now, we have a half-baked plan that ignores basic infrastructure needs and lacks transparency,” Mrs Pentland said.
“The fact that crucial elements like traffic management and pedestrian safety are missing should concern everyone.”
Mrs Pentland said the dismissal of Dr Gruen’s independent report was the first red flag, and now local government is raising the alarm about poor planning, heritage concerns and the Aboriginal Culturally Informed Zone.
“The Government cannot keep brushing aside expert advice and community concerns just to push this stadium through,” Mrs Pentland said.
“This is exactly why people are losing faith in the process.”
The City of Hobart has requested detailed traffic modelling to assess the stadium’s impact on the city, and Mrs Beswick is urging the Government to stop rushing ahead without answering these fundamental concerns.
“This stadium is shaping up to be a logistical nightmare,” Mrs Beswick said.
“If the Government can’t provide a clear plan for moving people in and out safely, how can Tasmanians trust that it will deliver a stadium that actually works?”
Mrs Beswick also stressed the need for transparency around the stadium’s broader impact on the Hobart CBD and local businesses.
“This is not just about building a stadium, it’s about making sure it doesn’t cause more harm than good. Ignoring these concerns will only lead to a mess the Government won’t be able to clean up.”
Mrs Beswick and Mrs Pentland have called on the Tasmanian Government to engage in proper consultation and provide clarity on how it plans to address these serious concerns.
