The Macquarie Point stadium schemozzle is nearing its tawdry-either-way climax.
The Tasmanian Planning Commission, the most expertise-laden planning body in the state, has released its final Recommendation Report in which it states unequivocally that the project should not proceed.
The fundamental problem is the size, location and geographical features of the site, in its highly valued context, do not support the disproportionately large, monolithic building proposed. It is a building which is incongruent with the valued characteristics of its spatial context, completely at odds with the long-established planning principles guiding and informing development, and with the land and urban fabric surrounding the site and the heritage values associated with nearby places.
Proceeding with the Project will give rise to irrevocable and unacceptable adverse impacts on Hobart’s spatial and landscape character, urban form and historic cultural heritage. In addition, the Project represents a significant net cost and will diminish the economic welfare of Tasmanians as a whole, and it offers almost no scope for the site to become a vibrant active place that is attractive to visit outside of major event mode.
In very simple terms, the stadium is too big for the site and the benefits it will bring are significantly outweighed by the disbenefits it creates.
QED.
Or so it would be in any sane jurisdiction with a sovereign parliament that took seriously its job of prosecuting the interests of the people.
But this is Tasmania Inc, maaate.
And so, the Parliament will vote on this slow-cooked stinkpot and either approve it regardless or not approve it.
Lose-lose. We either end up with with a $2B millstone the state doesn’t need and can’t afford, assuming legal and other challenges don’t terminate it, or the footy fiasco is back to where we were two and a half years’ ago before the ‘multi-purpose’ stadium mega-lie was first mooted.
Along the whole way it’s been, to borrow from Lemony Snicket, A Series of Cowardly Events.
The first and biggest deed of dastardice was for then-Premier Peter Gutwein to keep the whole thing secret while cobbling together tripartite support with the Labor and the Greens appended to the governing Liberals.
So secret it was, like our very own Pine Gap, that neither Treasury nor Cabinet knew the details before the glittering turd was unveiled. Yes there had to be a stadium because AFL said so.
A few conscientious objectors in the Liberal Party jumped ship – brave move John Tucker and Lara Alexander – while the rest meekly muttered behind closed doors.
The party was forced to an early 2024 election to avoid a collapse over the issue and formally lost its House of Assembly majority.
A majority of votes were cast then for parties against the stadium. Surely then the People’s House would have killed off gutless Gutwein’s goosechase?
Nope. Over-promoted office boy Dean Winter, newly in charge of the Labor Party after Rebecca White’s millionth electoral defeat, decided he needed a slogan and a hook.
So jobs jobs jobs yawn moronic Morrison mantra it was, and the billion dollar boondoggle stadium as a jobbing joberator. Effectively, Winter told the tens of thousands of anti-stadium Labor voters to get stuffed. Narrator: it did not end well for him.
We asked several times, in vain, what work Labor had done to assess the job-creating potential of other projects at Macquarie Point or indeed other similarly large expenditures of public money.
Crickets, like those that will fill about 99% of the days at the Wankerdome, chirped loudly.
Cowardly custards who could see the writing on the wall over the very thorough TPC assessment in progress attempted to end run it earlier this year with ‘enabling legislation’ and told the LegCo they’d better approve it or else. Yes, that desperate.
Premier Rockliff continued to govern with tenuous support until all that fell apart over, largely, a stadium-stressed budget littered with stadium-sized Wrong Way Go Back signs
Thus we ended up at another election in 2025. Both Liberal and Labor uttered not a single word about the Project Which Shall Not Be Named as it was electoral poison.
Survey after survey has shown that two-thirds of Tasmanians disapprove of the project.
The other third, anecdotal evidence suggests, would burn the universe to the ground for to have a map-jumper kick a windbag go Devs hey what’s wrong wiv youse don’tcha like footy?
But election result in and the Devils had the bye. As in bye bye Winter, bye bye Premier Rockliff’s cobbled-together coalition.
Then the TPC delivers its 236-page hailstorm of cold hard facts: it’s too big, it ruins the joint, it’s expensive as all get out and yeah it don’t much good at all dawg.
Now how about those cowards at the Tasmania Devils? They are the ones who could decisively end the misery and the waste of time and money.
Surely it’s time for the club to come out and say, admit, confess, FFS announce from the rooftop once and for all that it’s just nuts.
“We’re sorry that we think the state should go $2B further into debt so our revenue can get a $5.9M* s boost per year.”
Face the facts that dividing the state is, well, for a wannabe flagship club, a bit Fucking Ordinary. Indeed, it’s Contrary to Good Practice, cock.
Face the facts that the fanbase is not going to be tightly geographically located, like a Freo or a Gold Coast, nor is the club representing a legacy suburb, but is taking on the mantle of an entire state.
We even drafted you a doable, affordable, very Tasmanian solution, go check it out.
So send an epistle to Andrew Dillon and the 18 Apostles to give us the teams and spare us the bunkum.
Let us renegotiate the stadium. Let there be more light than heat, more sense than rhetoric, more clarity with the reality.
Impossible you say? The Tasmania-AFL agreement actually sets out a procedure by which the terms can be varied.
It seems like those who have sold out Tasmania for the last three years might not be those to pull the levers. Rockliff as ever is going to miss yet another opportunity to kill the folly and talk sense. Josh the jello fellow now heading Labor is making some noises, possibly like a seagull that ate a cigarette butt instead of a chip. But my faith in Labor is limp, friends.
Tasmania’s so-called leadership is still busy waving to the grandstand as this pathetic cavalcade of cowardice does a lap. Led by a white elephant.
At least we can tear up our tickets and hurl them in the air to celebrate the lose-lose.
*The estimate provided by the Tasmania Devils FC to the TPC of the difference between having and not having the Macquarie Point Stadium was $5.4 to 5.9M per year.
Alan Whykes is outgoing Chief Editor of Tasmanian Times.
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.
