Proposed $1.13bn Macquarie Point Stadium in Hobart set to pass Tasmania’s upper house after majority vote secured

A controversial $1.13 billion AFL stadium proposed for Hobart’s waterfront will pass Tasmania’s legislative council after a number of independents voted to support the project.

Macquarie Point Stadium will seat 23,000 fans and will be the home of the AFL and AFLW’s newest team, the Tasmania Devils, when they join the competition in 2028.

At the start of the debate, it faced sustained opposition, mainly due to its size and cost (which could be around $1,380 for each Tasmanian).

For the project to pass legislative council, eight of Tasmania’s MLCs must vote to support the project.

Several MLCs announced their support on Wednesday, and the final vote will be held on Thursday.

ABC reports that independents Casey Hiscutt, Bec Thomas, Tania Rattray and Dean Harriss, as well as independent Huon MLC Dean Harriss, have also backed the Mac Point project, bringing the total number of yes votes to nine.

In his speech to council, Mr Harris touched on some of the opposition to the stadium, including the abrupt relocation of the proposed Indigenous truth and reconciliation park, and plans to approve them.

He likened it to a “colonial land grab” and said concerns from veterans’ organizations about the stadium’s impact on the local mausoleum had been ignored.

“Nevertheless, I accept that we have the proposal that is now before parliament,” Mr Harriss said.

“I accept that a vote against the resolution would likely lead to the Devils license being revoked and the AFL dream ending.”

Greens MLC Cassy O’Connor was one of the members who voted against the plan.

The controversial project even drew the ire of federal politicians; Independent senator Jacqui Lambie has previously voiced her opposition to the project.

He said it was “not workable” and called on the federal government to “tell AFL Australia the deal is clearly a fiasco”.

“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t have a team in the AFL, it just won’t be at the disposal of AFL Australia,” Senator Lambie said in January.

Economist Nicholas Gruen said in his economic analysis that the proposed stadium would put Tasmanians at risk of paying too much for too little.

He warned the stadium would provide only 44 cents of benefit for every dollar of cost, with the total cost coming to around $1380 per Tasmanian.

Mr Gruen said the “rushed process” was inadequate for a project of this scale and was “already showing signs of mismanagement”.

More to come