Others warn it is a billion-dollar mistake that would blow a hole in the state’s budget and divert funds from housing and health<\/a>.<\/p>\n The stadium is a condition of Tasmania’s AFL team joining the national league.\u00a0 (ABC News: Luke Bowden)<\/p>\n Sometimes the argument plays out over clinking cutlery at family dinners or on the sidelines of a local sporting match.<\/p>\n More often, it erupts in social media comment sections.<\/p>\n Questions answered about Hobart’s new AFL stadium<\/a><\/p>\n A mountain of information has just been released about Hobart’s proposed Macquarie Point stadium. So, what does it tell us about the contentious project?\u00a0<\/p>\n But it will be among the wooden desks, black office chairs, and freshly vacuumed carpets of Tasmania’s Parliament where the final word will be spoken.<\/p>\n After years of talk, the process to decide the stadium’s fate is finally under way. Here’s how it will all unfold.<\/p>\n The lower house<\/p>\n The specific item up for debate is called an “order” \u2014 a document that sets out the conditions the project must meet if approved.<\/p>\n The order<\/a> is divided into seven sections, covering everything from cultural heritage and environmental standards to council and Aboriginal heritage conditions.<\/p>\n A government-commissioned planning report found the stadium would be “too big” for its proposed location. (Supplied: MPC)<\/p>\n Its first stop is the House of Assembly \u2014 the lower house of parliament \u2014 where it is expected to be tabled today.<\/p>\n The 35 members of the lower house are made up of 14 Liberals and 10 Labor MPs, while the rest are a mix of independents and smaller party representatives.<\/p>\n The parliament is also dealing with an interim budget this week, so the order will not be debated straight away.<\/p>\n It is expected to sit on the table for at least a week, before the debate officially begins at some point next week.<\/p>\n At this stage, the stadium has the support of 25 of the 35 members of the lower house. (ABC News: Luke Bowden)<\/p>\n Both major parties \u2014 along with independent David O’Bryne \u2014 have publicly backed the stadium, so this stage is not expected to be particularly dramatic.<\/p>\n It is not clear exactly how long the debate will go for at this stage, as it is not known which MPs will choose to speak on it or how long they will be allocated.<\/p>\n After some speeches, a vote will be held, and the “yes” side is almost certain to come out on top.<\/p>\n Who are the MLCs deciding the Hobart stadium’s fate?<\/a><\/p>\n The future of Tasmania’s proposed Macquarie Point AFL stadium rests in the hands of the state’s politicians. So who will vote which way, and what is the chance it will actually get up?<\/p>\n The upper house<\/p>\n The real action will unfold when the proposal moves to the Legislative Council \u2014 Tasmania’s upper house.<\/p>\n That debate is expected to begin on Wednesday, December 3 and could stretch into Thursday, December 4, before a final vote is taken.<\/p>\n The council has 15 members: three Liberal MPs, three Labor MPs and nine others.<\/p>\n Labor’s Craig Farrell, as president of the council, typically does not vote unless there is a tie \u2014 and convention suggests he would vote “no” in that case.<\/p>\n The stadium project needs at least eight votes to clear the upper house. (Supplied: MPC)<\/p>\n That means the government and Labor will need the support of at least three independents for the order to pass.<\/p>\n The Greens’ Cassy O’Connor can be ruled out straight away<\/a> \u2014 her party has opposed the stadium from day one.<\/p>\n Independents Mike Gaffney, Rosemary Armitage and Meg Webb have all said they will vote against it too.<\/p>\n That leaves five independents \u2014 Dean Harriss, Casey Hiscutt, Ruth Forrest, Tania Rattray and Bec Thomas \u2014 who hold the deciding votes<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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