After three and a half years, the question of whether Tasmania is getting a new stadium \u2014 and with it an AFL team \u2014 has been answered.<\/p>\n
But now that the parliamentary fight is over, how does the stadium actually get built? And when exactly will the Macquarie Point precinct transform from an industrial wasteland to an elite sporting hub?<\/p>\n
Let’s take a look.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The official timeline has the Devils starting to play at the new stadium in 2029. (Supplied: MPDC)<\/p>\n
First things first \u2014 will the stadium be ready for 2029?<\/p>\n
Macquarie Point Development Corporation chief executive Anne Beach is in charge of transforming the site, best known at the moment for hosting bits of the Dark Mofo winter festival and as the home of a sewage plant.<\/p>\n
She says it’s too early to commit to when AFL games could first be hosted on the new ground.<\/p>\n
“We’ll be able to lock down and communicate clearly with the community the timelines and the key milestones along that delivery pathway and what they can expect to see when once we appoint the major construction contractor,” Ms Beach said.<\/p>\n
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Tasmania Devils CEO Brendon Gale (centre). (ABC News: Mackenzie Heard)<\/p>\n
But Tasmania Devils chief executive Brendon Gale says he’s not holding his breath that the stadium will be ready for Round 1 in 2029, despite it being in the contract between the AFL and the state government.<\/p>\n
“It’s probably an assumption internally that we’ll be playing games in Hobart and Launceston at Bellerive and York Park for two years,” he said.<\/p>\n
With the Devils set to enter the AFL in 2028, that means he’s preparing for it to be ready in 2030.<\/p>\n
Who will build it?<\/p>\n
The stadium will be built in the Macquarie Point precinct. (ABC News: Kate Nickels)<\/p>\n
A yet-to-be-appointed major contractor.<\/p>\n
The process to find a builder, who will also help to finalise the stadium’s design, won’t be quick.<\/p>\n
Ms Beach says she hopes an expression of interest process to find that contractor will open in January, with a tender process to follow.<\/p>\n
The time frame for the actual appointment of that contractor is the final quarter of 2026, so October to December next year.<\/p>\n
When will construction actually begin?<\/p>\n
There’s going to be a fair bit happening on the site next year (more on that below), but Ms Beach says building a stadium won’t actually start for about 18 months.<\/p>\n
That’s because the corporation first needs to appoint a contractor, and get building and plumbing approval from the Hobart City Council.<\/p>\n
“So we would expect to hopefully have everything in place to start around May 2027,” she said.<\/p>\n
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A render of the internal concourse around the edge of the seating bowl at the Macquarie Point stadium. (Supplied: MPDC)<\/p>\n
Can the stadium really be delivered on budget?<\/p>\n
That’s the question that will come up endlessly over the next few years.<\/p>\n
As part of deals to get the stadium through parliament, the state government committed to limiting the amount paid by Tasmanian taxpayers at $875 million<\/a>.<\/p>\n That means it has only two options if the project budget blows out again: make decisions to “value manage” the project and reduce its cost, or get extra funding from the federal government, Cricket Australia, the AFL or private investors.<\/p>\n What would it be like to visit the proposed Hobart stadium?<\/a><\/p>\n Setting all the politics aside \u2014 just for a moment \u2014 what would it actually be like to visit the building at the heart of Tasmania’s fiery stadium debate?<\/p>\n Ms Beach says MPDC has already made a series of decisions to value manage the project.<\/p>\n “There are efficiencies in the way that the foundations are done, the way we support different structures,” she said.<\/p>\n “One, for example, is the rakers, which is the steel that supports the concrete seating bowl. By moving those to a double raker rather than a single gave us some efficiencies and some savings in steel.”<\/p>\n She says those decisions will be made throughout the process, making sure that cost is managed without compromising the quality of the stadium.<\/p>\n Macquarie Point Development Corporation boss Anne Beach and Tasmanian Treasurer Eric Abetz at the construction site. (ABC News: Kate Nickels)<\/p>\n Treasurer Eric Abetz says he’s confident the project can be delivered for the current price tag, continually stressing that the government has received what’s called a “P90” \u2014 which is a cost estimate made by a quantity surveyor with 90 per cent certainty.<\/p>\n But as economist Saul Eslake points out, construction costs continue to rise.<\/p>\n He says it’s likely that the $1.13 billion estimate will increase by the time the stadium is delivered.<\/p>\n How the government responds if and when that happens will be crucial.<\/p>\n Does any work happen between now and the contractor appointment?<\/p>\n Yes. Two big tenders have just gone out.<\/p>\n The first is to excavate contaminated soil (it is a former industrial site after all) and to level the land.<\/p>\n ‘Fair assumption’: Devils boss warns of stadium debut delay<\/a><\/p>\n The Tasmania Devils CEO says the club will likely play in the AFL from existing venues for a year longer than expected.<\/p>\n Ms Beach says there’s still about 130,000 cubic metres, or 220,000 tonnes of contaminated land on the site.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n