Tasmania’s contentious AFL stadium has been given the green light by the state’s parliament, paving the way for the Devils to enter the national competition.<\/p>\n
Constructing the $1.13 billion 23,000-seat roofed venue at Macquarie Point in Hobart is a condition of the club entering the AFL and AFLW in 2028.<\/p>\n
The project, backed by the governing Liberals and Labor opposition, on Wednesday garnered the support required from independent MPs to pass the upper house.<\/p>\n
Bec Thomas, Tania Rattray and Casey Hiscutt declared they would back the stadium, meaning it has the eight votes needed.<\/p>\n
While a vote is unlikely to be held on Wednesday, the result is now a formality.<\/p>\n
The stadium has proven deeply divisive in Tasmania, with opponents declaring their fight isn’t over despite parliamentary approval.<\/p>\n
Ms Thomas secured a deal with the Liberal government in return for her support, including capping the state’s stadium contribution at $875 million and extra oversight of the build.<\/p>\n
She was briefly in tears during her speech to parliament and declared it was the hardest decision she has ever made.<\/p>\n
“I am genuinely sorry to those who desperately did not want me to support this,” she said.<\/p>\n
“I really hope that in time you can come to understand the reasons behind my decision.”<\/p>\n
Tasmania’s AFL team will get a $5 million war chest to attract players, the No.1 pick in their first draft and a host of other concessions to build an inaugural squad.\u00a0Steve Bell\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Ms Thomas said concerns over the price tag were valid but the stadium was about hope, aspiration, opportunity and the AFL dream.<\/p>\n
Ms Rattray, considered a likely ‘yes’ prior to the debate, said she wanted to create a legacy for future generations by approving the stadium.<\/p>\n
“We forget that infrastructure is more than concrete and steel, it’s about identity,” she said.<\/p>\n
In indicating his support, Mr Hiscutt said the decision was complicated and monstrous and had implications for everyone in Tasmania.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged the state’s had financial issues, but said the stadium would have very little material effect on the budget.<\/p>\n
The AFL is contributing $15 million to the stadium and the federal government $240 million, with Tasmania paying $375 million plus the remainder in borrowings.<\/p>\n
Editor’s Picks 1 Related<\/p>\n Critics say the project is not the right priority for the state amid ballooning debt set to more than double to $10 billion by 2028\/29.<\/p>\n Tasmania’s planning authority recommended the stadium not go ahead, saying it was too big for the site and its costs outweighed its benefits.<\/p>\n Ms Thomas took a swipe at the government, saying it was up to them to deliver the project properly.<\/p>\n “This government has not covered itself in glory through this process,” she said.<\/p>\n “It dismissed expert concerns, ignored community feedback and only took me seriously when it realised project approval was on shaky ground.”<\/p>\n Independent Ruth Forrest, who supports an AFL team, said she would vote ‘no’ and would never bow to external pressure.<\/p>\n The government had bulldozed opposition, ignored expert advice and been involved in emotional blackmail of upper house members, she said.<\/p>\n “I don’t lack vision for this state, I do have serious concerns about our financial trajectory,” she said.<\/p>\n Premier Jeremy Rockliff, who inked the AFL deal, said the agreed-to cap would be “value managed” and funds would be sought from elsewhere if needed.<\/p>\n “The project … is too important for Tasmania not to proceed. It is a huge opportunity for us in terms of the economy, jobs, aspiration and our own AFL and AFLW team,” he told parliament.<\/p>\n Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff attacked Mr Rockliff for once promising the stadium would cost the state $375 million and “not a red cent more”.<\/p>\n Anti-stadium group Our Place – Hobart said the fight against the stadium was only gearing up.<\/p>\n “Groups are already forming to fight this proposal in new ways. People are angry,” spokesman Roland Browne said.<\/p>\n “Parliament can permit the stadium to be built, but it cannot legislate reality to be different. And at some point reality will doom this unaffordable stadium.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tasmania’s contentious AFL stadium has been given the green light by the state’s parliament, paving the way for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":348320,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-348319","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\/348319","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=348319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348319\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/348320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![](\"https:\/\/a.espncdn.com\/combiner\/i?img=\/photo\/2025\/1123\/r1579454_1000x1000_1-1.png&w=130&h=130&scale=crop&location=center\")
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