When both the Tasmanian Government and so-called Opposition unite behind a project — declaring it essential at any cost – despite three independent reports exposing its flimsy, data-free business case, you know something isn’t right.

This isn’t evidence-based policy; it’s blind faith. The government’s justification reads like the motto from the hit movie ‘Field of Dreams’: “If we build it, they will come.”

‘They’ is certainly not dollars, because all business case studies have show the project will lose money while piling on state debt.

But in the real world, rational thinking doesn’t take a back seat to wishful thinking. Unless, of course, there’s something bigger at play.

To an outsider, the sheer desperation to push this project through — against expert advice, against fiscal prudence, against common sense —might suggest it’s a matter of life and death.

You’d think Tasmania had discovered a cure for cancer or devised an education revolution that would churn out Nobel laureates.

But no. The hype, the political theatre, the breathless propaganda and more all revolve around … a football stadium. In addition to the two we already have.

Let that sink in. At a time when Tasmanians are grappling with a crushing cost-of-living crisis, skyrocketing rents and a housing emergency— all extremely well-documented by charities and frontline services with real, verifiable data — the Tasmanian political class is fixated on a stadium the state cannot afford.

Worse still, they’ve managed to sell this folly as some kind of existential necessity, as though the very soul of Tasmania depends on it.

So what’s really driving this madness?

Follow the money. Follow the power. Follow the age-old political playbook of distraction and legacy-building.

Stadiums are rarely about sport. They’re about development deals, corporate interests and political vanity.

They’re about creating the illusion of progress while bypassing the hard, unglamorous work of fixing systemic inequality. Every dollar poured into this white elephant is a dollar not spent on affordable housing, healthcare or education. These are the things that actually sustain communities.

And let’s not ignore the deeper cost. As the gap between the haves and have-nots widens, social cohesion frays. Poverty doesn’t just hurt individuals, it weakens the entire fabric of society.

Yet the leaders of our two biggest parties would rather chase photo-ops with mascots and ribbon-cutting ceremonies than tackle the crises staring them in the face.

This isn’t governance, nor holding governance to account. It’s a con.

Tasmanians deserve better than to be sold a stadium they don’t need while being robbed of the solutions they do.

Steve Loring was a recent Legislative Council election candidate for the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party and is a keen observer of the Tasmanian political scene.

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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