A lot has been written for and against a proposed stadium at Macquarie Point for the nascent Tasmania Devils AFL team.

The Tasmanian Planning Commission’s Draft Integrated Assessment neatly summarises the actual facts as opposed to the rhetoric. The proposed stadium will be:

  • too big for the site: “spaces around the stadium are constrained, visually disconnected, not easily accessible, overshadowed and potentially subject to uncomfortable wind conditions”

  • almost $2B including debt servicing requirements

  • very dependent on traffic management and other supporting infrastructure required

  • inconsistent with some of the stated urban renewal principles of the Macquarie Point Precinct Plan

  • strongly net negative in terms of cost-benefit

  • responsible for displacing proposed housing to an inferior site at Regatta Point

  • a nuisance to the operation of the Port of Hobart, Federation Concert Hall, the Queens Domain and surrounding uses, such as hotels and educational facilities, established events and hospitals

  • largely dormant for most of the year

  • not conducive to “establishing a vibrant and active urban area with a viable quantum and mix of commercial tenancies to generate much pedestrian activity outside of event mode”

  • unsuitable for top level cricket, as per Cricket Tasmania and Cricket Australia submission, thus depriving it of a major co-tenant

  • detrimental to visual amenity and heritage of the Sullivans Cove precinct

  • fatal to sight lines of the Hobart Cenotaph

No sane person need go on. This stadium proposal is a dud. A lemon. A floparoo. A clanger not a speccy if you speak footy.

Therefore I have come up with an alternative plan for stadium arrangements in general.

This plan enables the team to get off the ground, caters well to the demographics of Tasmania and will cost just $150M. It avoids rushing to build a hideously expensive white element in an inappropriate location.

It is fair to all parties and doable. I am calling it the 5-1 Plan due to these numbers recurring as you will see below.

It is framed within the key understanding that the licence currently on offer to Tasmania is a 12-year temporary licence only. It has been completely unreasonable on the part of the AFL to oblige Tasmania to build expensive permanent infrastructure without the certainty of a permanent licence.

The 5-1 Plan completely ends the current stadium controversy and provides certainty, thus allowing Tasmanians to unite behind our club. This more than anything is essential to its success.

It provides better opportunities to garner local sponsorship for the club in the north-west and it recognises Launceston as a peer city to Hobart.

It utilises uncontroversial stadia that are fully paid for, while allowing time for a proper assessment of the long-term future of Bellerive Oval.

The plan returns sovereignty to the Tasmanian people: if a new stadium is required, it will be built on our terms, in a location of our choice, with an appropriate design to maximise long-term usage, when we have a permanent licence.

Here is the 5-1 Plan

  1. The AFL and the Tasmanian Government will renegotiate the team licence deal and remove the requirement for a roofed stadium at Macquarie Point and penalties attached thereto.

    At the announcment of this renegotiation, both entities will apologise to the people of Tasmania for having previously agreed without due diligence to a stadium project that was manifestly unsuitable and unaffordable.

  2. For the term of the 12-year licence, the Tasmania Devils will allocate their 11 yearly men’s home games as follows: 5 to York Park, 5 to Bellerive Oval, 1 to Devonport (when Devonport Oval upgrade is completed) and Burnie in alternating years.

    AFL-W games will be played at the same venues but with more fixtures in the north-west. An occasional east coast or central fixture may be considered.

  3. After 5 years of competing in the AFL, a study will be done of Tasmania Devils’ actual patronage and customer feedback on stadia. This report will make a recommendation for a permanent home for the team with all options on the table. This report will need to be completed within 1 year. (Year 6)

  4. The AFL will have 1 year to accept the report, negotiate if required and then issue a permanent licence. (Year 7)

  5. The Tasmanian Government will then have 5 years to make required upgrades and/or develop a new stadium. If required, any new stadium will project will be properly researched and consulted before approval. (Year 12)

  6. Tasmanian Government funding to implement the plan will be as follows:

    $5M per game at Devonport/Burnie to facilitate matchday requirements.

    An extra $6M (5+1) per year be added to the Tasmania Devils team subsidy for 12 years. This is based on the Tasmania Devils’ own submission to the TPC that not having a new stadium would cost the club an average of $5.9M in annual revenue.

    A contingency fund of $18M will be held in reserve to address any other stadium issues arising.

    Total funding cost is therefore $60M + $72M + $18M = $150M.

  7. A levy of $6 (5+1) be added to every adult ticket sold for the first 6 years (5+1) of the Tasmania Devils operation as ‘pennance’ for the Macquarie Point stadium debacle.

    The money will be evenly split between a) supporting the development of community activities at Macquarie Point; and b) the Tasmanian Community Fund.

  8. All work on stadium design and site preparation at Macquarie Point will cease immediately.

    Macquarie Point will be revamped according a new master plan that combines the best elements of its pre-stadium design and the Our Place plan.

This is not the shiny new trinket stadium that footy diehards were craving. That is just not going to happen.

This plan is rooted in the realities of existing infrastructure and Tasmanian budget constraints. It is fundamentally very straightforward.

It removes the major block to widespread public acceptance of the team and delivers a fair outcome at a low cost to all Tasmanians.

Please give it some consideration.

Alan Whykes is Chief Editor of Tasmanian Times, which has published more on the Macquarie Point stadium issue than any other media outlet in the world.

Tasmanian Times (TT) is a community-based news and current affairs service covering the island state of Tasmania. It exists to provide a diverse view of Tasmanian issues. TT creates and supports independent media content utilising the best of modern technologies and tried-and-true practices of public-interest journalism.

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