Article
Massive Petition to Upper House Rejects Stadium
Cassy O’Connor MLC has this week tabled a petition in the Legislative Council, urging members to reject the Macquarie Point stadium and renegotiate the state’s AFL/W deal. The petition’s tabling comes as the Legislative Council prepares to debate the order approving the stadium, a debate O’Connor states should be guided by the clear opposition from petitioners, the majority of Tasmanians and the negative assessment of the Tasmanian Planning Commission.
O’Connor argues that this debt will necessitate “taxes or service cuts” at a time when Tasmanians are already struggling to access essential services like health and housing. She called on Legislative Councillors to listen to the petitioners and the majority of Tasmanians stating that the stadium is “unaffordable and unnecessary.” The petition specifically calls for the government to renegotiate the contract with the AFL to retain the new Tasmanian teams without building the expensive stadium.
Media release – Cassy O’Connor MLC, Greens Member for Hobart, 24 September 2025
Thousands Call for Stadium Snub
As Legislative Councillors prepare to debate the order approving the Macquarie Point stadium against the advice of independent experts, I was proud to table a petition signed by 6,387 Tasmanians calling on the Legislative Council to renegotiate the deal for our AFL/W teams.
It’s a clear call for Upper House members to reject the stadium.
I thank Janice Overett, the Principal Petitioner, and more than six thousand other Tasmanians who signed. Thousands of signatures were gained across the state at packed community meetings hosted by the Greens on the stadium.
This strongly supported petition is a clear expression from Tasmanians that MLCs should reject the stadium.
It follows successive opinion polls which have shown the majority of Tasmanians oppose the stadium.
With the Order set to come to Parliament and Labor set to cave despite their protestations, Legislative Councillors will have a critically important decision to make on whether they will support or oppose the Macquarie Point Stadium. If they support it, they will do so despite knowing the Tasmanian Planning Commission says its costs outweigh its benefits, there are unresolved questions and it’s a bad fit for the site.
The Tasmanian Planning Commission recently recommended against building the stadium in part due to the $2 billion in debt it will create over a decade. This debt will need to be paid off by taxes or service cuts.
When Tasmanians are already struggling to access the essential health and housing services they need, we simply can’t afford any more cuts. Unlike essential services, this stadium is something that Tasmanians don’t want and don’t need.
The level of community anger over politicians playing deaf to independent experts and the majority of Tasmanians has not abated with the release of the Tasmanian Planning Commission Integrated Assessment Report. If anything, it’s grown.
I encourage Legislative Councillors to listen to the petitioners and majority of Tasmanians who are against this stadium because its unaffordable and unnecessary.
The petition calls on government to renegotiate the contract with the AFL so we keep the teams we’ve earned and deserve.
A responsible government would do just that.
TO: The Honourable the President and Members of the Legislative Council (Tasmania)
Tasmanian citizens and residents
draw to the attention of the Council:
The improper attempt by Government to bypass the independent planning process and have Parliament pass enabling legislation to approve the proposed Macquarie Point Stadium.
Independent expert assessments by respected economist Dr Nicholas Gruen, and the Tasmanian Planning Commission highlight significant risks associated with the stadium including:
· Major cost blowouts, substantially increased state debt, and potential credit downgrade
· Inadequate space for the stadium
· Safety risks to pedestrians
· Unsafe emergency evacuations
· Harmful contamination risks from site excavations
· Threats to heritage, including the Cenotaph.
The Premier had no mandate to agree to unacceptable terms dictated by the Australian Football League (AFL) CEO to build a stadium Tasmanians cannot afford on a site that is unsuitable.
The original Macquarie Point development plan was widely consulted, had public support and included genuine urban renewal, including medium density housing, transport connections, public space, and protection and promotion of Aboriginal and European cultural heritage.
Any project of the stadium’s scale, complexity, and cost to the State of Tasmania must be properly and independently assessed.
Your petitioners, therefore, request the Council to:
a) Support completion of the Project of State Significance (POSS) process, to allow MLCs to assess conclusions drawn by eminent appointed experts after they examine all evidence presented.
b) Reject the improper attempt to discredit independent evidence and bypass due process through special enabling legislation.
c) Call on the Rockliff Government to renegotiate the terms with the AFL to ensure Tasmania and the 200,000 plus signed-up Devils’ members retain the AFL/W teams we have earned.
Tasmanian Times (TT) is a community-based news and current affairs service covering the island state of Tasmania. It exists to provide a diverse presentation 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.
Support us in expanding our coverage and developing new content by and for Tasmanians.
New initiatives on the way include … what our contributors and readers suggest! Please get in touch with your suggestions.