A so-called Yes Stadium march in Hobart flopped today, with a turnout around a third of the recent No Stadium rally.
Organisers were unable to muster a civic mass to support the controversial stadium, which if built would be the most expensive infrastructure project in Tasmanian history. The cost of construction and debt servicing is expected to be around $3,000 per Tasmanian.
Only around eight hundred people marched to North Hobart Oval to see a much-hyped representative game compared to the two thousand who packed Parliament Lawns on 10 May. One observer told Tasmanian Times he stood and watched the marchers file past as they crossed the Brooker Highway and estimated the number at “750-1000”.
Another source provided over 70 photos of the march and counted every single person in the photos.
With best attempts to avoid double counting and not missing marchers obscured by objects, the count came in at 770.
The small turnout, probably less than the number of people shopping at Officeworks, came despite Tasmania Devils FC claiming to have signed up 200,000 foundation members.
Another day of representative matches last weekend, featuring men’s women’s and youth development teams playing against Queensland in Latrobe, attracted just 990 spectators.
Most signs visible in photos of today’s march were pre-printed Yes Stadium ones, compared to mostly home-made signs at the No Stadium rally. It is unclear who paid for the signs to be manufactured.
Earlier in the day the partisan Yes Stadium Facebook was again urging voters in the state election to vote Liberal. The page has had a how-to-vote Liberal card on its page since 5 July.
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