In a state with a rich history of activism, Sunday was a protest against a protest. Around 15,000 braved the rain to gather at Hobart\u2019s parliament house to tell the soon-to-vote crossbenchers: \u201cYes stadium.\u201d<\/p>\n
The AFL\u2019s invitation in 2023 for Tasmania to join the mainland\u2019s premier competition is arguably the greatest gift in Australian sport. The condition of that offer however, that the poorest state builds an expensive stadium on a precious parcel of land, has been described as \u201cunconscionable\u201d.<\/p>\n
Even the project\u2019s lead proponent, premier Jeremy Rockliff, accepts for many the deal is not perfect. While the AFL is investing tens of millions of dollars each year in Tasmania, it has offered just $15m for a roofed venue now quoted at $1.13bn. Take out the $240m committed by the federal government, and Tasmania \u2013 already $5bn in debt and having had its credit rating downgraded just last week \u2013 will have to find the remainder.<\/p>\n
So eye-watering are the numbers, so strong is the opposition, and so tight is this week\u2019s decisive parliamentary vote, that thousands were motivated to assemble on Sunday, fearing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was slipping away. The Liberal leader took to the stage just after 2pm, as the drizzle over Hobart began to intensify. \u201cI think we\u2019re going to need an even bigger stadium,\u201d Rockliff said.<\/p>\n
Organisers had hoped the gathering might become Tasmania\u2019s largest ever political rally. History\u2019s numbers are rubbery, but approximately 10,000 protested against damming the state\u2019s wild rivers in 1983, and around 5,000 marched against the conflict in Vietnam in 1970. Thousands expressed opposition to the Iraq war in 2003, rallied against public service strikes in 2018, and turn out each year demanding the date of Australia Day be changed.<\/p>\n
A render of the proposed stadium at Macquarie Point in Hobart. Illustration: PR HANDOUT<\/p>\n
In that context, the turnout on Sunday was impressive, particularly given the weather. Police described it as \u201ca significant crowd, with potentially up to 15,000 people\u201d. By comparison, the previous week\u2019s anti-stadium rally attracted 7,000 according to organisers, while police provided an estimate of 1,500.<\/p>\n
Bob Brown, who coordinated opposition to the dams, once wrote protest was \u201cto fight that the world might avoid the worst and survive for a future worth living\u201d. Sunday was unlikely to be what he had in mind.<\/p>\n
Rockliff, as the man who cut the deal with then-AFL chief executive Gil McLachlan in 2023, is regarded by Sunday\u2019s crowd as a hero. He praised the dripping attendees for giving Tasmania \u201chope\u201d, and singled out those who were at a rally for the first time. \u201cThe big difference between this rally and so many other rallies around Tasmania, you\u2019re actually standing here for our future, and for something, not against something.\u201d<\/p>\n
What made Sunday unusual for a protest was the power of those on stage. Rockliff might have worn a custom-made jumper with \u201cRocky\u201d on its back, but his is no underdog cause. He was standing alongside the Labor leader Josh Willie, former Labor leader David O\u2019Byrne, a local construction union leader, and famous football, basketball and business names.<\/p>\n
Behind the mic came a procession of Devils proponents and even one Demon, in Melbourne president and Tassie product Brad Green. One speaker, local real estate adviser Jacob Field, described his audience as \u201cmakers\u201d, while the anti-stadium brigade were \u201ctakers\u201d. Division and derision were a consistent theme.<\/p>\n
Despite the influential support and the polarising political language, the event was held in the guise of a grassroots movement. Pro-stadium Facebook page administrator and Sunday\u2019s organiser Mark Brown described himself as \u201cjust a regular bloke from the suburbs\u201d and thanked his family, as one of his children hugged him. \u201cWe have spoken with our feet today,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I urge the MLC upper house members to approve the stadium when it comes before them this week.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018No stadium!\u2019 campaigners have been just as vocal as those who are pro the plans. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
Those who have argued against the stadium have called for the money to instead be spent on health, education and housing. This group within Parliament include the Greens and a handful of independents. There are also many within the community who feel \u2013 even if they do want an AFL team representing the state \u2013 the stadium is too expensive, it\u2019s in the wrong place, or that planning has failed the local Palawa people and former diggers who both share a connection to the Macquarie Point site designated for the arena.<\/p>\n
An independent planning assessment found the project should not proceed due to its high cost and a myriad of problems in its final report released in September. Treasurer Eric Abetz labelled the commission\u2019s conclusions as \u201csubjective assessments\u201d. Last week, urban planner Shelley Penn \u2013 one of the assessors and a Melbourne-based architect and urban planner \u2013 offered her response: \u201cThere\u2019s a difference between taste and quality.\u201d<\/p>\n
VFL great Brent Crosswell, a member of the Tasmanian team of the century, spoke against the building the previous week, saying the AFL\u2019s requirement of a stadium for the team was \u201ccondescending\u201d and \u201cdespicable\u201d. \u201cOnce we\u2019ve got this stadium here, which we are revolted by, what is charming will cease to be charming,\u201d he said, describing the building as \u201ca great moon ball\u201d that \u201cwill move across the cityscape and deface things\u201d.<\/p>\n
skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Sport in Focus<\/p>\n Our picture editors select their favourite sporting images from the past week, from the spectacular to the powerful, and with a little bit of fun thrown in<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Tasmania Football Club CEO Brendon Gale has defended the deal. Photograph: Chris Kidd\/AAP<\/p>\n The Devils \u2013 the team that has quickly attracted more than 200,000 members \u2013 are almost universally welcomed, but there is a sense within the community that the mainlanders at AFL House have pushed a hard bargain on Tasmania. Brendon Gale, the former Richmond player and chief executive who returned to his home state to lead the Devils, defended the deal. \u201cThe AFL has given the state an opportunity to be part of this incredible national platform and put the state on the map, and also tap into all their economic benefits and the revenue stream,\u201d he said, adding \u201cyou\u2019ve got to invest for that\u201d.<\/p>\n Independent MP Kristie Johnston was part of a group that travelled to Melbourne at the end of October requesting a meeting with the AFL, to try to find some kind of alternative. \u201cTasmanians are passionate about their football, they love their football, they want a team, but what they [AFL officials] have put before us is an unconscionable deal,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n New AFL chief operating officer Tom Harley met the group in the meeting room looking out over Docklands, a precinct that is still waiting to be enlivened by its own stadium some three decades on. He heard their concerns then, after the allotted 30 minutes, stood and wound the meeting up. The AFL issued a brief statement afterwards, saying Harley \u201clistened to a range of views and appreciated the group travelling to AFL House and putting those views forward\u201d. Ultimately though, the AFL\u2019s \u201cposition has not changed\u201d.<\/p>\n \u2018There\u2019s going to be a lot of angst if this doesn\u2019t go through,\u2019 says pro-stadium fan Brian Clark. Photograph: Jack Snape\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Roland Browne, a Tasmanian lawyer who helped organised the anti-stadium rally, said whatever the result this week, the debate has been a stain on the state. \u201cThe healing that will be needed, whichever way this decision goes this week, is very significant,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been acrimonious, and there\u2019s no end point if a decision is made that the stadium is to be built.\u201d<\/p>\n Brian Clark, a retired mechanic, wore his myrtle green on Sunday. The 66-year-old was attending just his second public rally, after an experience during his parents\u2019 final years motivated him to support the voluntary assisted dying movement in 2020. \u201cThere\u2019s going to be a lot of angst if this doesn\u2019t go through,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s part of Tasmania, it\u2019s part of me. I\u2019m nearly 70 and I want this. I\u2019ve wanted it for 30, 40 years.\u201d<\/p>\n He said he wouldn\u2019t usually be out on a Sunday, and he is currently managing prostate cancer. But he was adamant this was a cause he will keep supporting, even if parliament votes against the stadium this week. \u201cJust hope that it\u2019s not all finished yet, which I would imagine is the case, keep trying,\u201d he said, before turning towards Mount Wellington. \u201cIt\u2019s like our cable car up here.\u201d<\/p>\n This article was amended on 1 December 2025 to remove an image of a stadium design proposed for Regatta Point before the final location of Macquarie Point was confirmed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In a state with a rich history of activism, Sunday was a protest against a protest. Around 15,000…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":320825,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-320824","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-afl","8":"tag-afl","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-australian-football-league","12":"tag-australianfootballleague","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=320824"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320824\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/320825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=320824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=320824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=320824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}