‘Immense damage’ if new AFL stadium doesn’t go ahead
Ethan James |
Tasmania would suffer immense reputational damage and “fail the next generation” if a $1.13 billion stadium doesn’t get built, the state government claims.
The Liberals, who are unmoved in their support for the Macquarie Point venue, have released their response to a state planning commission report that recommended it not go ahead.
The commission said the cost of the 23,000-seat roofed venue outweighed the benefits, that it was too big for the waterfront site and would impact the heritage of the area.
The stadium, which needs to pass a vote of parliament to be approved, is a condition of Tasmania entering the AFL and AFLW in 2028.
“The opportunities this project offers Tasmanians are something we cannot and should not give up on,” the government response, released on Wednesday, said.
“The reputational damage inflicted on our state would be immense.
“To walk away now would be to walk away from so much more than just a stadium.”
The commission said the state government would accumulate $1 billion in debt for construction, which would rise to $1.8 billion over a decade.
It also said the cost-benefit ratio was less than 0.5, meaning that for every $1 spent less than a 50 cent direct benefit would be returned.
In response, the government said the ratio simply meant the stadium’s “quantifiable benefits are less than its quantifiable costs”.
The stadium will create jobs, investment and long-lasting intergenerational benefits that cannot be easily quantified, such as community pride and belonging, the government said.
Failing to build the venue would be giving up jobs for the next generation and giving up the chance to inspire the next generation of athletes, it added.
The Greens and anti-stadium group Our Place Hobart said the government had produced glossy propaganda that was rerunning the same arguments the commission rejected.
“The commission found that Tasmanians will be worse off as the government is forced to up taxes or cut services to pay for the stadium,” acting Greens leader Vica Bayley said.
“This government response does nothing to clarify exactly how Premier (Jeremy) Rockliff will pay for this.
“With health and housing services already underfunded, Tasmanians simply can’t afford a stadium.”
The stadium project is expected to go to a vote in parliament in November.
The Labor opposition has pledged support, meaning it will pass the lower house, but the path through the upper house is trickier with the votes of three of eight independents needed to get it through.
The government noted the stadium will increase state debt but said that it should be paid off within the life of the stadium, which is estimated to be 30-50 years.
Modest impacts on the heritage of the site could be justified by the stadium’s transformational opportunities, it added.
The venue will also provide an “iconic gateway” to Hobart and was a unique opportunity not seen since the opening of the Museum of Old and New Art.
AAP
